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that the hygiene both of the school and of the home needs constant
supervision, and it is on there lines, combined with the provision of
open air schools and the assistance of subscribers to convalesccnt
homes, that the problem of dealing with tuberculosis at school age
must be solved.
METHODS EMPLOYED OR AVAILABLE FOR THE TREATMENT
OF DEFECTS.—At the moment the Public Health Department
only undertakes the treatment of scarlet fever, diphtheria,
enteric fever, and small-pox at the Borough Hospitals, and of ringworm
and minor skin complaints. For children suffering from itch
and body vermin the present tentative provision of baths at the
Municipal Lodging House has many drawbacks. It is intended,
however, that suitable baths shall be provided at trie new disinfecting
station, for which plans are in preparation. Without the means
for simultaneously disinfecting the person and the clothing, neither
itch nor body vermin can be effectively dealt with.
RINGWORM. —The arrangements described in my previous
annual reports have continued in force during the past year.
The following table shows the number of cases supervised
by the Public Health Department during 1908.

On the whole the results are generally satisfactory with the
exception of two classes of cases. First the number of children
suffering from ringworm in such a form as to render them incapable
of responding to drug treatment within a reasonable time. For
these cases exposure to X-Rays is the only efficient means to
cure, but in some instances we are thwarted by the
refusal of the parents to allow their children to receive the benefit
of this method of treatment. Secondly, we are much hampered by
the large number of children admitted to school on medical