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11
well, and Lambeth, and the infantile mortality curve is the combined one of those districts
(see diagram III., page 9).
It appears certain, therefore, that in years of high infantile mortality the conditions, to which
one in five or six of the children born are sacrificed, have a maiming effect upon the other four or
five. What these conditions are requires the fullest investigation; and whether they be dependent
on climate, custom, ignorance, the laws of the land or conditions of labour, they are of interest
not merely to educational authorities but to every right-minded citizen who has the welfare of his
country at heart, and the urgency of bringing all the forces at our disposal to play upon this, the
ugliest blot on our civilisation, is more than ever apparent.

In compiling curves to bring out these and similar facts, it is necessary to make certain that
one is dealing in the first place with a stationary population, and in the second place that the
infantile mortality figures used should be those of the area corresponding to the district from which
the school draws its pupils, conditions which at present it is very difficult to satisfy except in a
few localities.
Care of the Teeth.—The importance of this subject is not likely to be overestimated.
Apart from local conditions giving rise to pain or abscess, septic mouths sometimes requiring
prolonged treatment, so that many candidates for admission as teachers have to have their
certificates of fitness suspended till they have been through the dentist's hands, defective teeth are
the source of many serious general diseased conditions. Such septic conditions are an
exceedingly common cause of irritation and inflammation of lymphatic glands, which often become
tubercular. They are a fruitful cause of gastric and intestinal troubles in later life, of chronic
anaemia and of severe and persistent neuralgia and headaches. It is asserted that severe scarlatinal
angina is ten times more common in cases with septic than with healthy mouths. The difficulty
is in applying remedies. It is difficult to suggest practical treatment.

In the case of the boys a very serious state of things was shown, 90 per cent. of the boys
having caries, and 70 per cent. to a serious extent. The boys who had insufficient grinding
surface were below the average in physique. Of the 83 boys in this category the average weight
was half a kilogram below the school average for their age, and the height 1.3 centimetres lower.
The 39 boys who had perfect teeth worked out exactly to the average for height and weight. It
appears, therefore, that caries must be severe to produce an effect on nutrition.
PHYSICAL EXERCISES.
The necessity pointed out two years ago for increased precautions to obtain better
physique is obvious to anyone visiting the schools. The recommendations as to the exercises
in the Infants' Departments never being slow, being of simple and automatic nature, easily
learned and massive in character, very intermittent and accomplished without regard to
detail; the use of music in aiding Infants' exercise, the rhythm diminishing fatigue, the necessity