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attendances was made by the children undergoing treatment at
the dental clinic, and the average amount of work done in each
case was greater than in the preceding year, 68 per cent, actually
obtained treatment. A general anaesthetic was administered on
1,394 occasions, as it has been found that both parents and
children regard with much less dread the extraction of teeth
under gas or ethyl chloride than under local anaesthesia. Indeed
the school dentists maintain that the popularity of the dental
service is based largely on the elimination of pain. More
particularly is this so in the case of very young children, to whom
increased attention has been paid during the year under review.
The parents of these younger children, that is the "Entrants"
group, were specially invited to attend the dental inspections,
and the dentists took the opportunity of impressing upon them
the necessity of proper attention to the teeth in the early years
of life.
(j) Crippling Defects.—Six cases of organic heart disease
and 8 of paralysis were discovered at medical inspection. Reference
to Table III. will show the number of crippled children in
Hornsey. It will be noted that. 5 of such children were sent to
hospital schools during 1926, 1 to a residential school and 1 to
a day school for cripples, while 49 were attending the ordinary
elementary schools. While no organised orthopaedic scheme
exists in the area, no delay has occurred in obtaining suitable
treatment for children suffering from crippling defects.
FOLLOWING UP.
Any scheme of medical inspection and treatment is incom
plete unless arrangements exist for visiting the homes of the
children and seeing that the advice given is in fact being followed.
Much assistance is obtained from the head teachers of the
various departments, while the actual visiting is done by the
school nurses with the help of the attendance officers. Too
much stress cannot be laid on the importance of this aspect of
the work. In 1926 the school nurses paid 1,261 visits to various
school departments and 1,587 home visits.