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61
to economic causes, which is certainly responsible for
the fact that only 22.5 per cent, of Bethnal Green
children are well clothed and shod compared with 60.8
per cent, throughout London. The irony of this situ.
ation is that the clothing and boot and shoe trades are
two important local industries in which there is much
unemployment. It is encouraging to note that in clean.
liness Bethnal Green does not differ materially from the
general London average. These figures as a whole,
however, are a plain demonstration that there is a lack
of adequate medical care of young children in the years
immediately preceding their attendance at school.
To remedy this requires some extension of the pre.
sent facilities for the supervision of . the toddler . and
closer relations between the Maternity and Child Wel.
fare and School Medical Services. The routine medical
inspection of toddlers by the new full.time Medical
Officer, which has been instituted from the beginning
of 1932 is a small contribution to the solution of the
problem, but increased staff and premises are required
for it to be tackled thoroughly.