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that all records relating to the health of these children are entered on
special cards supplied by the London County Council for that purpose
which are forwarded to the School Medical Officer.
Through the kindness of the Medical Officer of Health and
School Medical Officer of the London County Council, I am enabled
to submit the following highly interesting table, showing the result
of routine examination of 608 elementary school entrants in Hampstead
during 1932.
It will be noted that in 98.5 per cent, of the cases the "clothing
and boots" of the Hampstead children were "good," as compared
with 57.7 per cent, for London.
The examination in relation to the state of "nutrition" revealed
the fact that 23.5 per cent, of the Hampstead children were classified
as "good," the corresponding figure for London being 22.0 per cent.
This shows an improvement on the figure for 1931, when only 18.1
per cent, of the Hampstead children were so classified, against 21.5
per cent, for London. 73.4 per cent, of the Hampstead children were
"average" and 3.1 per cent, "below normal" as against 73.5 per
cent, and 4.5 per cent, for London.
For "cleanliness of the head and body" the Hampstead children
were 100 per cent., but with regard to "teeth" 49.4 per cent, only
were all sound, as against 55.2 per cent, for the whole of London,
and 45.6 per cent, were recommended for treatment as against 41.2
per cent, for London.
The Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education in his
annual report for 1931 discusses the problem of high incidence of
disease in the child below school age and states:—
"Details are given of a special survey of 3,000 children
taken as a picture of the condition of children at pre-school ages
throughout the country. The basic fact is that approximately
27 per cent, had physical or mental defects, or suffered from
some definite impairment of health, and even these figures do not
include minor degrees of dental and visual defects. The data
provided by this survey confirm the experience of every school
doctor. It is the physical impairment of the pre-school child that
mainly creates the problem of disease in school life."
This again emphasises the necessity for further provision in
Hampstead for the pre-school child by way of Toddlers' Clinics.