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the official schedule. Among the more pronounced instances of this the following may be cited. While
42 per cent. of the children in the ordinary elementary schools are found to have perfect vision, only
25 per cent. of those in the special schools attain it. While 1.1 per cent. of the elementary school
children are reported as having impairment of hearing, 4.1 per cent. of the mentally defective are
reported for the same condition. Nervous diseases which affect 1 per cent. of the ordinary school
children are found in 3.6 per cent. of the special school children, and speech defects of all kinds which
are exhibited by 0.6 per cent. of ordinary school children are found in 4.l per cent. amongst the mentally
defective.
Medical and Dental Treatment.
A considerable increase has been made in the provision for the medical and dental treatment
of school children during the year. Five new centres have been opened, at Popham-road, Islington
(for teeth and minor ailments); Rye-lane, Peckham (for eyes, throat, teeth and minor ailments);
Lancing-street, St. Pancras (teeth and minor ailments); Marylebone (teeth); and Whitechapel (teeth
and minor ailments), and the work at many of the existing centres has been extended. The numbers
under the agreements in force during the year were as follows:—Eyes, 25,432; ear, nose and throat,
13,105; ringworm, 2,015; minor ailments, 23,024; teeth, 60,845—total, 124,421.
In addition several extra sessions were arranged, especially for vision cases, at the Council's
centres, owing to the inability of certain of the hospitals to continue to deal with school children.
The total number of children who attended the centres as new cases during the year was 122,765.
The numbers have been somewhat affected by air raids, as very few children have presented themselves
on the mornings following the raids. This has been specially the case in the E. and N.E. of London.
Defective Vision.—The number of children dealt with under the Council's arrangements was
27,062, or 157 more than in the previous year. Spectaoles were prescribed for 21,423 children, and
17,343 children obtained spectacles.
Ear, Nose and Throat Defects.—The decline in the number of children treated which has been
noted in previous reports has continued. The number of children treated was 9,375, or 990 less than
in 1916. The reduction this year, however, is not due to the lower number found on inspection to
require treatment, but to the difficulties of following up the cases.
Ringworm.—1,284 children were referred to the Council's centres for the treatment of ringworm,
as compared with 1,466 in the previous year. X-ray treatment was applied in 1,157 cases.
Minor Ailments.—The deficiency which exists in the accommodation for the treatment of minor
ailments is being gradually met. Arrangements for such treatment were made at four new
centres, and the provision at some of the existing centres was increased. During the year 28,131 new
cases were treated as compared with 22,876 in 1916. The new cases, together with the cases under
treatment at the beginning of the year made 525,030 attendances at the centre. 16,479 home visits
were paid by the nurses to the children's homes, and in 6,183 cases arrangements were made for convalescent
treatment or other forms of after care. It was represented to the Council that the allowance
of £100 a year made to the District Nursing Associations for the services of a full-time nurse did not
now meet the necessary expenses, and the Council has agreed to increase the allowance to £115 a year.
Dental Treatment.—Mr. C. Edward Wallis reports that during the year steady progress has been
maintained in the development of the scheme for dental treatment. In spite of the difficulties of
obtaining staff and premises, five new centres have been established during the year, located respectively
in Lancing-street, Euston-road; Earl-street, Lisson-grove ("Lissonia"); Popham road, Islington;
Rye-lane, Peckham; and Whitechapel. The number of centres at which dental treatment was given
at the end of the year was 36. Children have been examined in the schools by the Council's inspecting
dentists, and of the 90,000 children seen 71,000, or 79.4 per cent. were found to require treatment. Of
these, 57,000 have received treatment at the Council's centres, as compared with 50,000 in the year 1916.
The results of dental treatment for the year 1917 are as follows :—
Total number of children attended 56,913 No. of other operations, e.g., scaling, immediate
No. of attendances 83,907 regulation, application of AgNO3, etc. 9,561
No. of teeth or roots extracted— No. of general anæsthetics—
Temporary 109,332 Nitrous oxide 12,164
Permanent 30,727 Ethyl chloride 8,856
No. of stoppings 45,839 Other general anæsthetics 743
The shortage of dentists owing to war circumstances has to some extent been alleviated by the
appointment of women dentists to five of the dental centres; the supply of women dental surgeons is,
however, extremely limited. The Council has considered the general position in regard to the supply
of dentists in the future, having regard to the fact that so few students are now undergoing training.
With a view to encouraging suitable girls to enter the dental profession a letter was addressed to the
head mistresses of the Council's secondary schools giving information as to the prospects afforded and
pointing out that the Intermediate and Senior County Scholarships could be used for the purpose of
obtaining the necessary training.
At several of the dental centres arrangements have been made with the local committees for
use of the Council's dental equipment in connection with infant welfare centres and the treatment of
expectant and nursing mothers; this scheme, which is gradually developing, marks an advance as
regards the health of mothers; it should, moreover, indirectly affect the health of the children themselves.
Already the school medical inspectors report a great improvement in the oral conditions and
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