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this percentage had been raised to 70, in 1920 the figure reached 75, by 1923 it had
climbed to 80, in 1924 to 82.5 and in 1925 progress has been maintained at such
a rate that the high water level of 85.2 was reached.
What this means in improvement in morale and the feeling of personal respect,
which it should be the aim of any national system of education to foster, it is impossible
to calculate.
There is no doubt that the arduous work of the school nurses has been greatly
helped by the revolution in fashion which has taken place.
It is, indeed, interesting to find that at times Dame Fashion would almost
appear to have taken counsel with the Lady Hygeia. Formerly in many ways the
vagaries of feminine modes struck deeply at the roots of health and sapped the
vitality, especially of girls and young women. They dictated the compression of
vital organs, the constriction of the circulating organs, and the limitation of freedom
of movement. The result was seen in malformations and diseases very prevalent in
the population. The disappearance from the dress of girls of constricting devices,
such as corsets and garters, has had a very great effect in improving both physique
and health. The disease of chlorosis or green sickness, " a malady most incident
to maids," has practically disappeared with the corset, although within the
memory of the present generation it was rife. Long skirts trailing in the mire are
a mere memory.
And now the growing custom of cutting short the hair of girls may perhaps
even enable some poet of a later age to refer without misgiving to the "tangles
of Neaera's hair."
Other forms of uncleanliness and notably the parasites of the underclothing
had already practically disappeared, the boys with their frequently cropped heads
had already become free from the louse, but the girls with their long hair so difficult
to manage and so easy to infect, have remained until now an outstanding difficulty.
Dental decay.
Over one hundred thousand school children are now being treated annually
under the Council's arrangements in London for dental caries. A large number,
in addition, as the outcome of medical and dental inspection and following up, are
being treated by private agencies and hospitals. The result of this activity is
shown in a progressive improvement in the condition of the teeth of children leaving
school. Not only is actual treatment carried out on a scale impossible a few years
back, but the instruction in dental hygiene given in schools and centres is having
its effect in better attention generally to oral hygiene.
Condition of
teeth of
12-year old
children.

1 represents teeth apparently sound, 2 represents caries present but not extensive, 3 represents considerable
caries (4 or more teeth decayed) with oral sepsis.
Tonsils and
adenoids.
12,876 children in the statutory age groups were referred for treatment for
enlarged tonsils or adenoid growths as compared with 8,944 in 1924, an increase
from 4.6 per cent. to 6.5 per cent. This large increase requires some examination
and discussion. In the first place it is necessary to consider the effect of unequal
incidence of these diseases upon the three age groups. The figures and percentages
for the two years are as follows:—