Rutherglen Academy Pictures

A Bad Memory from 1969

Of course not all times at Rutherglen Academy were pleasant ones. It would be kidding ourselves to suggest otherwise.

 

Recently a classmate recalled how, during late 1969, several pupils - us included - were smitten by a nasty vomiting bug, probably an early incarnation of the infamous NOROVIRUS we hear a lot about today.

 

Yet, despite what was widely known then about regular hand washing as a principle means of infection control, not once, in any of the boys’ toilets or on any of the public wash hand basins available to pupils at Rutherglen Academy, did I see soap.

 

So perhaps it’s unsurprising that such a large number took ill that term. For example - I was confined to my bed for five days and off school for ten. Whewf!

 

Unforgettable!

Norovirus as seen by an electron microscope
Lifebuoy carbolic soap was very popular in schools