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139
In connection with the provision of meals at Feeding Centres, 31 meals were
submitted to examination in the Council's Central Laboratory, and when necessary
attention was drawn to the need that existed for an increase in the nourishing and
heat-giving constituents.
Personal Hygiene.
The number of examinations made at rota visits during 1925, by the school
nurses, was 1,937,588 ; verminous conditions were present in 323.020 instances,
or 16.6 per cent., as compared with 16.1 per cent. in 1924, and 18.1 per cent. in 1923.

In addition to these figures, the numbers dealt with at the head cleansing centres
during the past five years, were 13,586 (1921), 24,637 (1922), 24,516 (1923), 23,986
(1924), and 23,947 (1925).
A slight decrease is recorded in the number of examinations made. Considerable
calls were made upon the time of the school nurses in connection with the
control of infectious diseases in the schools, with consequent disturbance to the rota
work. The tendency of this disturbance was to postpone visits to the cleaner schools
whilst endeavouring to maintain those at the less clean schools; this tendency
would, possibly, explain the very slight apparent increase in the percentage of verminous
conditions noted, as the results at the worst schools were not diluted to the
normal extent by those at the better schools. It should be explained that rota
visits are those on which all children in the departments are inspected; subsequent
visits in which absentees and special cases are seen, not being counted in the above
figures. All cases of verminous infestation are noted under the headings of (a) verminous
heads only, (b) nits only, (c) verminous bodies and/or clothing, the last
named group including those cases which show signs of flea bites. Of the total number
of verminous conditions noted in 1925, i.e., 323,020, no less than 209,666 were noted
as infested with nits only. For a child to be passed as "clean" there must be no
sign whatever of verminous infestation.
Treatment of
scabies.
The number of children suffering from scabies continue to decline, being 2,077
in 1925, as compared with nearly 10,000 in 1920. It was in 1920 that Dr. Louis
Parkes, Medical Officer of Health for Chelsea, drew the attention of the School
Medical Officer to an article in the "Lancet" of the 18th December, 1920, by Dr.
Svend Lomholt, M.D., on the "Danish Treatment of Scabies," in which it was stated
that one single inunction of an ointment composed by Mr. Marcussen, of Copenhagen,
sufficed to cure scabies. Dr. Lomholt gave the detailed technique of this ointment,
and the preparation has since been used with satisfactory results in some of the
cleansing centres in London. The Council can, however, only undertake the treatment
of school children, and there is always the possibility of re-infection where
adult members of the family are similarly afflicted. In this connection it is
interesting to record that Dr. Lomholt states that:—
"The greatest advantage of the treatment is probably the fact that it is
very suitable for ambulatory use. Under these circumstances the patient has
to rub himself just before going to bed. In the morning he can wash his hands
and carry out his daily work. The next evening he must give his hands a new
treatment, and take a final bath on the following morning."