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160
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1913.
lecturers and instructors at general training colleges for teachers and at training colleges for teachers of
physical exercises, could be linked up together with advantage to each element and to the whole
physical education of London.
Inasmuch as general interest in this subject is now being manifested the following reports by the
school doctors upon the remedial exercise classes carried out in the schools during the past year are given
in full.The Chaucer Bermondsey—(Boys.) (Dr. Boome).—These children were selected from a class of
backward boys requiring special teaching. Twenty-one boys were chosen, the ages ranging from 10 to
13 years. The postural defects noted were—scoliosis, 7—viz., slight curves to left, 4, slight curves to
right, 3; kyphosis, 6; lordosis, 5. These defects were improved by the exercises and in 5 cases quite
disappeared. The effect on the muscular system was good, the scapular muscles being especially
developed.
Reports of
school
doctors.

The pulse rate of the boys was considerably lower than in the case of the girls, as will be seen
from comparing the tables. It will be noticed also that in this class there was a tendency to a drop in
the rate. One boy was retained in the class who had a systolic murmur at the apex (conducted to the
axilla) with displacement of the apex beat downwards and ½" externally. At the end of the class,
however, it was noted that the apex beat had come in to the normal, the systolic murmur remaining. The
boy had presented no untoward symptoms during the exercises and he had considerably improved. The
murmur was undoubtedly organic. The nutrition of the heart muscle and compensation had been
increased by the graduated exercises. A boy who suffered from fits, which were epileptic, was a member
of the class. During the exercises he had no"fit," and at the termination of the course, they had
considerably lessened in frequency. The mental condition of the boys was benefited by the regular
exercises.
Tredgold says in his book on "Mental Deficiency" : "Mental action and motor activity go handin-hand,
and in the development of muscular co-ordination lies one of our best means of cultivating self
control and regularity of mental action." These boys were not mentally defective in the strict sense of
the word, but were of the class who would benefit by an industrial training less scholastic than that of
the ordinary elementary school.
Garratt Lane, Wandsworth (B.)—(Dr. Scott Pinchin.).—22 boys of ages 8 to 12 were included in this
class ; all the children were of the poor type usual in this school, and it was arranged for all of them
to have either milk or cod liver oil during the morning. Their general condition was a good deal improved
and the local condition for which they were included in many cases showed some improvement.
The average increase in weight during the six months was 1.2 kilograms, or about normal; in
height 1.4 cm. or below normal. The chest expansion showed a marked improvement in nearly all
cases. The average chest measurement at the commencement on full expiration and inspiration
respectively was 24¼ inches to 26 inches; on completion of six months 24½ inches to 26¾ inches, a gain
of a clear ½ inch in expansion; the flexibility of the chest also seemed to be much improved in nearly all
cases.
Several children were included for very defective breathing, undeveloped and rickety chests:
all these considerably improved with the drill. Two included for general muscular mal-development also
improved. One boy with a bad spinal curvature secondary to torticollis, for which he had been operated
on shortly before the class commenced, was much improved, but probably more of the improvement
was due to the removal of the cause than to the drill. Six boys with slight curvatures were improved.
Four boys with kyphosis or kypho-lordosis and one with lateral curvature made no improvement. All
the boys had shoes to drill in and many of them had jerseys. All were having some extra nutriment, so
that the conditions in which the class was held may be taken as being favourable.