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was so engaged and the population was being recruited by the remaining male
population who were nearly all of C.3 classification.
Already in 1915, the birth rate had fallen from 24'3 to 22'6 per 1,000. The first
men to go were those of the very best physique and probably by 1916 all the men
of fine physique had been drafted into the services. When conscription was introduced,
the standard of physique accepted for the Army was greatly lowered, and it is
probable that the population was already being recruited solely from inferior physical
types in 1916. So that after the first considerable drop in the physique of the
fathers in 1914 and 1915, there was no further lowering of the physique of children
born during the war. In 1920, the birth rate went up again to 26.9 per 1,000
living, and the chart shows that Winstanley Road boys born in that year are better
in physique than those of the war years. The birth rate went up of course solely
because the male population had been demobilised to their homes and amongst
them were the remnants of the men of fine physique who were drafted into the army
during the first two years of the war.
Continued improvement is shown in the personal cleanliness of the children.
In 1913, only 67.2 per cent, of the older girls were in a clean condition as regards
verminous infestation of the hair compared with 87.3 per cent, of the boys. Since
that time a continual warfare has been waged against verminous conditions in the
schools by the school nurses and teachers, with the result that every year a better
result has been obtained.
In 1916 and 1917 the percentage of girls in whom no trace of nits or vermin was
found at medical inspection had risen to 70, in 1920 the figure had reached 75, by
1923 it had climbed to 80, in 1924 to 82.5, in 1926 to 88.1. In 1927, the percentage
of heads completely free from nits or vermin in the twelve year old girls has reached
89.5 compared with 96.1 per cent in boys. The improvement thus shown has gone
steadily on and is in the main due to the incessant work of the school nurses in
inculcating hygienic habits. No doubt the prevailing fashion of short hair for girls is
more hygienic and has facilitated the great strides that have taken place recently,
Out of 193,876 children examined, only 158 are found with vermin of the body
compared with over 4,000 out of the 197,000 examined in 1913.
The condition of the children's teeth continues to afford ground for the greatest
concern. That the school dental service has been successful in mitigating the results
of dental decay and has greatly improved the condition of children's mouths on
leaving school is not a matter of question. In 1913, 50 per cent, of twelve year old
boys and 47.6 per cent, of girls of the same age were noted by the school doctors as
presenting dental decay, while 10 per cent, of the boys and 8.6 per cent, of the girls
had very extensive caries with septic mouths. In 1927, the returns of twelve year
old children show that 29.4 per cent, of the boys and 27.7 per cent, of the girls had
dental caries, while 2.7 per cent, of the boys and 2.3 per cent, of the girls had extensive
caries with septic mouths. But this amount of improvement had already been
obtained some two or three years ago, and there is at present no progress being
made.
Meanwhile, there is no improvement shown in the dental conditions of children
entering school; they even appear to be worse. In 1913, the school doctors found
37.8 per cent, of boy entrants and 37.0 per cent, of girl entrants to have dental caries,
while 10.1 per cent, of boy and 9.8 per cent, of girl entrants have already very severe
caries with septic mouths. In 1927, 48.3 per cent, of boy entrants and 49 3 per cent,
of girl entrants had dental caries, and no less than 15.3 per cent, of boys and 15.2
per cent, of girls had extensive caries with oral sepsis when they first came to school.
The school dental service gets to work at once upon this mass of diseased conditions,
with the result which has been detailed above, but it is no wonder that it has
come to a halt in improvement when each year a fresh and increasing load is thrown
upon the staff employed. Further information on the effect of the work of the school
Cleanliness.
Dental decay,