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one's mind as a result of the medical examination of about 1,300
of the children is that the standard of cleanliness is high and
the incidence of serious disease or defect is low. In spite of this
the standard of health in quite a considerable number of the
children—fully 10 per cent.—is not nearly so good as it ought
to be. In too many of the children there is a tendency to ansemia,
under-weight, lack of tone, round shoulders, flat chest and potbelly.
These signs indicate not so much the presence of disease
as the absence of health. They point clearly to the need for
still more education of mothers in the proper feeding of their
offspring in infancy, through early childhood and during the school
period.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
The common infectious diseases prevailed to an average
extent in the schools during the year, without anything of a noteworthy
character occurring. No school department was closed on
account of infection.
FOLLOWING UP.
Following up of children requiring attention is done by the
staff of three School Nurses, who paid 1,335 visits to schools and
1,582 home visits.
MEDICAL TREATMENT.
Minor ailments have been attended to medically one session
per week at the school clinic at Croueh End. Skin diseases, sores
and other conditions requiring local treatment are attended to
each evening by the Clinic Nurse at Crouch End and each morning
at Brook Road, Highgate and Coldfall Centres.
Operations for the cure of defects associated with adenoids
and enlarged tonsils have been transferred from the School Clinic
to the Hornsey Central Hospital, where the children receive
in-patient treatment till the surgeon is of opinion the child may
proceed to its home.
Cases in which there is any suspicion of tuberculosis are
referred to the Tuberculosis Officer of the County Council.
Defective vision is treated by the School Oculist at the
School Clinic—two sessions per week—and external eye diseases
are treated by the School Nurses under his supervision.
Defective hearing and ear diseases receive treatment one
session per week by the Aurist, Dr. A. R. Friel, who furnishes
the following analysis of the cases dealt with : —