Cwmdeuddwr National School 3
The struggle against disease
Again as with every other school in Powys at this time, attendance was hit by disease among the local populace. Scarlet fever, mumps, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough and influenza were all serious, even life-threatening, diseases in these days of poorer diet and no antibiotics.
School
Log Book
This entry from the School Log Book for Easter 1888
shows the first reference to absences through these diseases.
The entry reads:-
"School open, a very moderate attendance. Pughs Coedmynach
absent with Whooping Cough. Thomas Morgan Evans very ill."
In a household where there was a child with any of these conditions all children from the family would be excluded from school to try to contain the disease. Cwmdeuddwr School was closed many times over the years to prevent the spread of disease. In June 1892 the school was closed for an outbreak of measles
County Archives
R/E/PS/9/L/1
"School re-opened after Whitsuntide Holidays. On assembly it was found that the majority of the children were away with "Measles", and on this account school is to be closed again this week, and to be kept closed until July 11th 1892, by order of the Medical Officer of Health."
In some tragic cases these illnesses resulted in the tragic
death of the child, as in the above case from September 1893
which reads:-
"One of the scholars attending this school - Gordon J.
Edwards youngest son of the Revd. J. Edwards, Correspondent of
the school - died from 'Croup' after a few days illness. He was
a strong boy, and was a promising pupil."
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