Nurseries have a long history in making a valuable contribution to improving children's health. Back in 1919, Margaret McMillan wrote vivid descriptions in her book The Nursery School (Forgotten Books, 2012) of the many threats to the health of children at that time.
The effects of poverty meant many children had an inadequate diet, and many were debilitated by anaemia and rickets. Poor housing with inadequate sanitation were a fertile breeding ground for infectious illnesses and infestations. McMillan described the prevalence of ‘scabies, impetigo, conjunctivitis, skin conditions of many kinds’ in her nursery school. Infectious diseases such as mumps, diphtheria, measles and polio were common causes of disability or death in under-fives.
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