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27
year in the number of girls found with nits in the hair, the percentage attending school in a condition
in which live vermin were to be found has in 1918, for the first time, been reduced to below one per cent.
As for boys, the number has been reduced so far as the hair is concerned, to one in a thousand ; the percentage
of boys found with verminous clothing has been almost halved and for the first time less than
one per cent, are reported to be in this state.
Condition of
the teeth.
It has been pointed out in previous reports that the continuous increase in the provision under
the Council's scheme of facilities for dental treatment, has produced in London an appreciable amount
of improvement in the condition of the children's teeth, when examined at the oldest age group. The
percentages of children found during 1918 with severe caries and oral sepsis were : entrant boys, 19.9;
entrant girls, 19.3; eight year old boys, 19.3 ; eight year old girls, 18.8 ; twelve year old boys, 7.3;
twelve year old girls, 6.9. The corresponding figures over a series of years for the leaver group of children
are as follows:—Boys, 1913, 10 per cent; 1914, 9.2 per cent.; 1915, 7.2 per cent.; 1916, 6.5 per cent.;
1917, 6.2 per cent. Girls, 1913, 8.6 per cent.; 1914, 7.7 per cent; 1915, 6.7 per cent.; 1916, 5.8 per
cent.; 1917, 5.5 per cent. The results therefore are not so good in 1918 as in the years immediately
preceding ; during the war it has been found progressively more difficult to persuade parents to have the
necessary attention paid to the condition of the children's teeth.
On the whole, girls are found to have better teeth than the boys; it is much easier to persuade
a girl to clean her teeth regularly than it is to persuade a boy. When slighter cases of dental caries are
added to the severe cases mentioned above, the vast amount of dental defect that exists becomes manifest.
Fifty-five per cent, of infants when they enter school already have manifest caries; 60 per cent,
of the eight year old group and 50 per cent, of the twelve year old children are in like case. By the use
of mirror and probe for examination in the hands of a skilled dentist these figures, large as they are
would be still further increased. In sheer bulk therefore, the problem of dental hygiene remains the
most important of all the problems to be solved in relation to the health of the children.
Nose and
throat
diseases.
The percentage of children referred for treatment for enlarged tonsils and adenoid growths
again showed a slight increase during 1918. Amongst the eight year olds 6.8 per cent. of the boys and
6.4 per cent. of the girls, and amongst the leavers 4.1 per cent. of the boys and 4.3 per cent. of the girls
were so referred. Although higher than the percentages for 1916, which were the lowest on record, these
figures are much lower than they were in earlier years, and the reduction is greater in the case of the
older children than the younger, showing that the improvement is largely due to the facilities for treatment
which the Council has instituted. In this respect reference may be made to the results of a model
inspection of town and country children, set out by Sir George Newman in his annual report. In that
investigation, 5.5 per cent. of the London children were found to have enlarged tonsils and adenoid
growths, while 20.5 per cent. of the country children presented these conditions. This difference, it was
suggested, was largely due to the facilities for treatment provided in London, which were wanting in the
country. Further evidence of the difference between London and country children in this respect is
to be found in a comparison of the figures for London with those for Lancashire as given by
Dr. John Priestley. In the latter county over 30 per cent, of leavers were found to have enlarged tonsils,
whereas for London the percentage is 10.
Bar disease
and hearing
step by step with the reduction of the percentages of children found with unhealthy conditions
of the throat, there has been a corresponding decrease in the percentages of those found with discharging
ears and hardness of hearing. At the routine inspections 2.4 per cent. of the entrants, 2.0 per cent. of
the eight year olds and 1.9 per cent. of the twelve year olds are found with discharging ears, while .9 per
cent, of entrants, 1.3 per cent. of eight year olds and 1.4 per cent. of leavers are reported to be hard
of hearing. It is probable that if more time were available and the school doctors were able in each
case to apply special tests for hearing, the numbers last quoted would be greater. It is remarkable
how many intelligent children are able to hide from their nearest associates the fact that they are hard
of hearing and are considered even by their parents and teachers to be peculiar or dull. In the investigation
into the physical condition of town and country children quoted above, as the result of particularly
careful individual tests, it was found that 8 per cent, of London children had less than one half of
normal hearing.
Vision.
The higher percentage of girls with defective vision as compared with boys, remains most marked.
The fact that the difference is greater at the leaver age than it is at the eight year old age, once more
directs attention to the causes which lead to deterioration of vision during school life and particularly
to those conditions which press more heavily upon the girls. Amongst these no doubt is to be included
the practice of sewing classes in school being held in the late afternoon, while the light is at its worst,
necessitating in the winter months the use of artificial lighting.
While the percentage of children failing to reach normal vision with each eye tested
separately at eight years of age (62 in the case of boys and 65 in the case of girls) remains practically
identical with that found in the previous year, there is a slight improvement in the twelve
year old group, in which the percentages were 47.4 in the case of boys and 53.2 in the case of girls,
as compared with 49 and 54.6 respectively in 1917. Even these high percentages do not tell the
whole story as children with serious short sight are transferred to special schools and children whose
vision is corrected by glasses are not counted as defective.
Squint and
external eye
diseases.
The percentage ol children with external eye disease or squint remained the same as in the
previous year as regards the two other age groups, but was distinctly higher in the case of entrant
infants. In general it may be stated that though abundant evidence is forthcoming that, owing to the
greater care and attention paid to children of school age, an appreciable amelioration of their condition
is to be found, the entrant children do not show a corresponding improvement.
50129 d2