Diphtheria at the Grammar School, December 1933.

Campden Rural District Council: The Medical Officer (Dr.J.E. Jameson) reported fully as to the serious out break of diphtheria which had occured at the Campden Grammar School shortly before Christmas. He stated that the total number of cases had been nineteen, the epidemic having been practically confined to the boy boarders at the school. Unhappily one case had terminated fatally, but the others had been removed to the Fever Hospital at Cheltenham, where they are now making favourable progress. Every possible step had been taken to stamp out the outbreak, and the school’s premises and all equipment had been thoroughly disinfected, as consequence of which it had been found necessary to postpone the re-opening of the school until Jan.25th. The Doctor said that he could assure the council that the epidemic was now to be looked upon as at an end.

Speaking in reply to Mr Horne, Dr Jameson said that the first two cases from whom the outbreak spread , had come from the west side of the district, one from Broadway & one from Toddington. Both were weekly boarders, and it was clear from the circumstances that they must of obtained the infection while at home at the weekend, not in Campden.

NB.  A letter in the press had suggested that Campden was ‘seething with disease.’