The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-01
When Fever Develops Within Six Days After Child Is Taken From School Grade Is Quarantined Ten Days and Room
 Fumigated
TABLE B

When scarlet fever develops in the schoolroom or within six days after the patient has been taken out of the schoolroom, Dr. R. M. Cunning ham. city health officer, recommends that at least, and the room fumigated.
 Dr. Cunningham states he does not recommend that parents in general take their children out of school. lie states further that the scarlet fever cases of the city are apparently at their maximum, there has been a very slight increase in the past few weeks. and that he expects the num- Der of cases soon to diminish.
 This information is contained in a spe- cial report on scarlet fever made to the city commission yesterday by Dr. Gun ningham. The report is probably the most detailed and exhaustive article of its kind ever prepared for public con- sumption in this or any other city.
 Gathers Special Data
 Dr. Cunningham has had inspectors of the health department gathering special data for the report for nearly a week. He states that 1t should be read and studied by every parent in Greater Bir- mingham. He has written 1t with the purpose in view of avoiding technical phrases and words. and it can be easily understood by the average layman, being on the same line as the health bulletins which Dr. Cunningham issued weekly in The Age-Herald last year.
 In tables accompanying the article Dr. Cunningham shows that from January l to April 29 there have actually 105 cases of scarlet fever developed in the public graded schools of the city. There have been S6 ases of the disease developed Nait- side of the schools ana there have been during this time of practically four months total of POP cases of the dis. case. There are now existing n cases
 In another table Dr. Cunningham shows how the disease has developed in school children with relation to the time child was last in the schoolroom and of the 113 cases there have been 2S which actual ly were taken down with the disease on the same day as in school. The rest of the table covers the cases which developed in from one to seven days after being taken out of school, there being danger of SoHtdSioii, II IS sldieu, III some cases TOT as long as six days.
 Report of Health Officer
 Dr. Cunningham's report is as follows:
 Birmingham April 30, 1915. Honorable Board of Commissioners
 City:
 "Gentlemen-I have the honor to re. spectfully submit special report on scar let fever.
 To hla ,,;xroc oor<o;,, 4.+,u4;1- AL ~ school, the grades, the number of cases in each grade. the total in each school and the number that did not attend school. It will be observed that there were POP cases all told. Of this number 86 did not attend school; one a private school; two private teachers, IA attended parochial schools and 99 attended the pub lie schools of the city. The greatest num- Der of cases were in the first four grades 1t will be observed that the greatest number of cases was at Pratt City, the next greatest number at the Paul Hayne school and Paul Hayne Junior High school. 10; South Highland school 8; St. Paul school, 8. From this it will be observed that the largest percent- age of cases are among the young chill dren in the school, if grades are a cri- terion of ages.
 Table ''B'' shows the relation of the onset or the disease 70 school attendance. This table shows that the onset occurred while in school in 2S cases; one day out of school S7 cases; two days out of school IA cases; three days out of school 13 cases four days out of school five cases; five days out of school three cases; six days out of school one case out of school seven days and over 12 eases. One hundred and one of these cases occurred in school or within the incubation period of attending school. This table shows the intimate re- lation between the schools and scarlet fever incidence.
 Nature of Disease
 Scarlet fever is an acute, infectious, con- tagious disease. The particular germ pro- ducing it has not been identified. The source of contagion is the secretions of the nose. mouth, throat and respiratory tract It is introduced into we'll persons by respiration and swallowing, the for