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suffered from acute illness and are under the care of hospital physicians or tuberculosis
officers, although a certain number of children in whom the school care committees
are interested are also sent away by them. A large number of other societies,
including the Ragged Schools Union, have also assisted in this form of activity on
behalf of the ailing London child. Between the child requiring a fortnight's country
holiday in the summer and the child requiring a prolonged convalescence for profound
debility, however, there remained a number of children who were able to attend
school and suffered from no definite disease, and yet showed in a varying degree
those symptoms which have been labelled as pre-tuberculous. For these children
there was long no provision.
Shrewsbury
house open
air school.
In 1907, an experiment in open-air education for the benefit of one type of these
children was commenced by the Council at Bostall Woods. This school was
transferred in 1908 to Shrewsbury House, Plumstead, where a successful open-air
school has ever since been held.
The report upon this school for 1923 points out that the feature of the weather
was the abnormal deficiency in sunshine save for the period 1st to 28th July, when
during school hours there were 71 hours 17 minutes sunshine. The school was
open on 256 days, rain fell on 156 of these, and rest was possible in the open
air on 153 days. Fires in classrooms were necessary on only 33 days. The
average attendance continues to be high considering the delicate type of child and
the difficulty of access to the school. The average number on the roll was 115,
the average attendance 102, and the percentage 88.7.
The children when once acclimatised prefer open-air school to ordinary school.
The school doctor visited the school once a fortnight. Every child was medically
examined at least once a term, many of them were examined much oftener. 25
children left the school during the year, of these 16 were admitted for anæmia,
debility, and malnutrition, and all were improved. Three were admitted for
quiescent phthisis, one for tuberculosis of the skin, and two for gland tuberculosis;
all these were improved. Two children suffered from chronic bronchitis and one
from rheumatism; these three children alone were not cured, but the two with
bronchitis were much improved in general condition. The rheumatic child was
considered unsuitable for open-air school conditions.
The average length of stay of these 25 children was 26 months. 19 left the
school on account of age. and seven returned to the elementary school. Of the
120 children still in attendance at the end of the year, 107 were recorded as improved
in health, and 13 not improved. Seventy of these children were of the pre-tuberculous
type, and all were improved but two ; 28 suffered from arrested tubercle and
all these were improved but one. Of six cases of chronic bronchitis, none is as yet
improved; of seven cases of recurrent bronchial catarrh, six were improved; of
three cases of asthma, two were not improved; of two cases of chorea, one
improved and one did not; one case of phlyctenular conjunctivitis was
much improved; and so were three cases of simple enlargement of the
cervical glands. Although the cases of chronic bronchitis have not improved
as far as this malady (which is intractable) is concerned, their general condition
has greatly benefited.
The average gain in weight during the year of the children was 3.32 kilogrammes
(7⅓ lbs.) in eleven months, compared with the average gain of elementary school
children of the same age distribution of 2.8 kilogrammes. Twenty-five of the children
left London during the summer holidays to go to the sea-side or the country. Taking
the improvement in weight of those who did not get a change as 1, the increase of
those who went away was found to be 1.9.
The dietary is satisfactory as to quantity and suitable as to food value. Butter,
fruit and green vegetables are regularly included. Appetites vary from good to
enormous, and a poor one is hard to find.