PREVENTION OF DISEASE

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 10, 6 October 1927, Page 6

PREVENTION OF DISEASE

VALUE OF INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS Palmerston North, October 5. A concrete example of the good which can be achieved in the direction of preventing disease may be found in the case of the College Street School,-Palm-erston North. Of recent years there has been prevalent in Palmerston North schools, at a certain period of the year, a mild epidemic of diphtheria, which is admittedly one of the hardest diseases to cope with in the case of children. Realising the value of instruction in such matters, the headmaster of College Street School, which was some years ago one of the worst schools in the borough as far as diphtheria was concerned, began to talk to the children on the subject of how to prevent the contraction of diphtheria, and inaugurated a series of “gargle drills.” These drills proved of much value to the children, as subsequent happenings sTiow. While last year there were some thirty carriers of the disease at the school, this year, it is reported, there are none, which is considered to go far towards showing that the gargle drills and the instruction given bore fruit.