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rapidly fall off, thereby rendering it essential that the treatment should be completed
in not more than three visits, which, of course, includes the time required
for the necessary stopping of teeth. Parents frequently lose a day or half day's
work for each attendance, and this also renders a speedy completion of the work
much to be desired.
"Difficulties.—Attention has been drawn to the difficulties caused by the advice
given, or said to have been given, to the effect that no treatment of septic temporary
teeth is necessary. It is to be hoped that it may be possible to devise some means
whereby this special difficulty may be overcome, as there can be no doubt that a
large amount of ill-health is due to the retention of such teeth. Another difficulty
that appears to be increasing is that parents are disinclined to allow their children
to cross traffic junctions, and consequently centres approached by a main road are
often difficult to fill as compared with centres in auiet neighbourhoods."
Stammering.
The six central classes for stammering children were continued throughout
1924. 292 children attended (232 boys and 60 girls), of whom 128 were discharged
cured and 9 discharged very much improved. Generally, when children are discharged
cured, reports are received from their head teachers, and if relapse occurs
the child is again admitted to the class. Eleven relapses were treated, of these
4 were again discharged cured, after one term, 1 after three terms, 3 left school and
3 were still attending, at the close of the year.
At the end of 1924 the centre at Lombard Wall was closed and a new centre
was opened at the Jews' Free School, Shoreditch, in order to accommodate the
number of stammerers amongst the Jewish community.
Pursuing a mode of treatment on the assumption that stammering is fundamentally
a psychosis, a more individual investigation has been carried out. In a
number of cases word association tests have been done and in several of these material
benefit has resulted from the bringing to the surface of repressed conflicts in which
fear is the predominant factor. Such fear complexes have in several cases been
associated with or aggravated by the exhaustion following definite physical
disabilities, the treatment of which has had a beneficial effect on the stammering
itself.
There seems to be some relation between familial left-handedness, squint,
defective vision and stammering. This is being further investigated. Untreated
errors of refraction and squint seem to have an important bearing on stammering,
especially noticeable when reading aloud; any such defect is an additional cause
of lack of confidence and thus determines the tendency to stammer.
Several past pupils have testified to the lasting benefits derived from these
classes.
Nursery Schools.
The two Council nursery schools and the eight voluntary nursery schools already
established have continued through the year. An additional non-provided school
has also been recognised, making 11 in all. This last-named school has been
organised by Miss V. Doris Lester in premises in Eagling-road, Bow; it is the result
of many years' experience by Miss Lester of nursery school work carried on in this
neighbourhood in spite of much difficulty owing to inadequate premises. The
Children's House, as the new building is called, was opened in October, 1923. Built
especially for the purpose it surpasses any other nursery school in London, both
in beauty of design and suitability of premises. The recognised accommodation
is for 30 children. The rooms are light and airy and the building is centrally heated.
There is a roof playground above the level of the surrounding houses. The internal
decorations and the equipment present most ingenious and original features, and
the sanitary arrangements and provision for hygienic care are thoroughly satisfactory.
The children, of a poorer class than at many nursery schools, are happy and