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superintendent of nurses in another room and examined closely with a powerful lens. Out of twenty
of these apparently clean children, six were found to have nits for the most part sheltered under the
scurf in the scalp, and of these six, two shewed the actual louse emerging from the nit! Again, it is
possible that boys' seen on the Monday and passed clean on that day, may be reinfected that evening in
their homes. It is, moreover, the practice in some districts for the parents to purchase second-hand
clothing to complete the required kits for Bushy, and this is frequently verminous.
The only certain way of avoiding the introduction of vermin into a camp school of this kind,
especially where the children are drawn from the poorest neighbourhoods, is the provision of a disinfector
on the premises. With the provision of a new form of disinfector there should be no danger of any
further spread of verminous infestation.
The following figures relate to 1,200 boys (the records of 400 being taken from three periods of
the year):—Average gain in weight, January to May, 1.78 lb.; June to September, 3.26 lb.; October
to December, 2.69 lb.; average gain throughout year, 2.69 lb. per boy for the month. It will be seen
that there is a greater gain in weight in the last seven months of the year as compared with the first
five months.
Throughout the year the boys whose stay was extended to six weeks showed a fairly equal gain
of about one pound for the extra two weeks. These boys, however, were specially chosen on account
of their debilitated condition. Here again there was a greater gain in the latter seven months of the
year than that of the first five months of the year.
Wanstead House Camp School for the reception of 64 girls was opened in August. The house
occupies an elevated site on the front at Margate, and is ideally situated for its purpose. Thirty-two
girls selected by the school doctors are sent from each district in London in rotation, and the normal
stay of each girl is six weeks. Every three weeks a new batch of 32 girls arrives. Much benefit is
derived by the children from their stay, and the school has already become very popular. As at
the Bushy Camp School, the normal charge to the parents is ten shillings a week, but no suitable child
is refused admission on the score of lack of means. Here also some difficulty has been found in
combatting the spread of verminous conditions, but by the introduction of suitable measures the
trouble has been overcome.
Dr. McCombe reports:—"The children are medically examined, weighed and measured on arrival,
and a note made of their condition. As a general rule, a tonic consisting of iron and cod liver oil is
prescribed for the first fortnight, and continued afterwards if considered advisable. It is also one of
the rules that every child has an hour's rest lying down every day. The children are again weighed
each succeeding fortnight, and medically examined before returning to their homes.
"Education is not neglected, as under the care of two able teachers they are taken out for walks
and nature studies, and in inclement weather are taught in a practically open-air school recently erected
in the garden at the rear of the house. It is wonderful to see the improvement in the children in such
a short time; some have been known to gain from 9 to 14 lb. in the six weeks, and none less than a
steady pound per week. I have often wondered if their parents would know them with their rosy faces
and bright appearance, so different from the pale and weary look on arrival.
"The children vary in ages from 9 to 14, and we notice that the older girls, between 13 and 14,
derive the most benefit from their stay. We have been most fortunate in the way of illness, only a
few cases of sore throat, two of mumps, and one or two gastric attacks requiring medical attention."
It is estimated that 2,000 places in open-air day schools are required in London for non-tuberculous
children and 2,000 places for tuberculous children.
The position in regard to this provision at the end of 1920 was as follows :—
I.—Open-air schools for ailing children—
(a) In being.
(i.) Birley House Open-air School, (iii.) Stowey House Open-air School,
Forest-hill places 110 Clapham-common places 200
(ii.) Shooter's-hill Open-air School,
Plumstead 100
(b) Proposed.
(i.) Bow-road Open-air School, E... places 100 (iii.) Aspen House Open-air School
(ii.) Putney-park House Open-air Brixton-hill places 200
School, Roehampton ,, 200 (iv.) Castlewood, Shooter's-hill „ 200
(Alternative site for (a) (ii.).)
Accommodation already provided, 410; proposed, 600.
II.—Open-air schools for tuberculous children—
(a) In being.
(i.) Springwell House, Clapham-com- (ii.) Stormont House, Hackney places 75
mon places 125 (iii.) Kensal House, N. Kensington „ 90
(b) Proposed.
(i.) Elizabethan Schools, Fulham places 50 (ii.) Grove-hill-road, Camberwell places 50
Accommodation provided, 290 ; proposed, 100.
Unfortunately it has been necessary, in view of the financial stringency, to postpone for the
present proceeding with a part of the proposed accommodation.
The new open-air school for ailing children at Stowey House, Clapham-common, was opened in
June, 1920, but owing to incomplete accommodation and later to the approach of winter and the
61004 L
Wanstead
House
Convalescent
Camp School.
Open-air
schools