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74
Rate-aided
secondary
schools.
The nature of the medical services rendered in the rate-aided secondary schools
of London came under review by the Council during the year. There were 52 aided
secondary schools. In 10 of these the medical inspection of scholarship holders
and fee payers was carried out by the Council's doctors. In 22 of the schools the
medical inspection of scholarship holders and fee payers was carried out by doctors
appointed by the governors. In 9 schools the medical inspection of scholarship
holders was carried out by the Council's doctors and of fee payers by doctors
appointed by the governors. In 11 schools the medical inspection of scholarship
holders was carried out by the Council's doctors while there was no medical
inspection of fee payers.
The Council considered it desirable that all pupils (fee payers and scholars)
should be medically inspected, and the governors of 11 schools where no medical
inspection of fee payers was held were informed that the Council would be prepared
to undertake the work if the governors so desired. It was further considered undesirable
that there should be two doctors attending the same school, one for the inspection
of the Council's scholars and the other for fee payers. From the point of view of
co-ordination of the school medical service it would be preferable that this work
should be carried out entirely by the Council's school medical staff. In view of the
fact, however, that the governors would probably be reluctant to agree to this
arrangement if it involved the dismissal of a doctor already appointed by them, the
Council decided that the governors of the 9 schools where the dual arrangement
existed should be asked whether they preferred that the whole of the medical
inspection should be carried out by the governors' school doctors or by the Council's
school medical staff, provioed that, where the medical examination of scholarship
holders was carried out by the governors' doctors, the medical record cards should
be forwarded to the Council's school medical officer at the end of each term.
Medical
treatment of
secondary
school pupils.
It was further decided that in all secondary schools arrangements should be
made where necessary for the medical treatment of pupils under the Council's scheme
provided (i) the parents could not afford to make private arrangements and (ii)
payment in full was made therefor. (The scale of charges is shown on page 22).
Cart
committee
organisation.
hollowing Up.
The following up of children found defective at medical inspections and the
physical care of school children generally is entrusted by the Council to the school
care committees, of which the number is now 934. The number of voluntary workers
who are full members of a care committee is 5,905. Miss T. M. Morton, who has
been since August, 1914, the principal organiser of care committees, has resigned,
and will vacate her position on March 31st, 1930. Meanwhile the care committee
work is being directed by the two principal assistant organisers, viz. : Miss H. E.
Nussey on the education officer's side and Miss D. M. Deverell on the school medical
officer's side. The paid staff of the care organisation includes, in addition, 12
district organisers, 5 divisional treatment organisers and 122 assistant organisers.
The re-inspection by the school medical staff of children previously noted as
defective makes it possible to compile a statistical record of following up. During
1929 the total number of re-inspections was 196,359, a decrease of 8,271 upon the
previous year. 129,027 of these were first re-inspections and 67,332 second reinspections
of cases not completely cleared up at the primary re-inspecti^u (which
generally takes place about four to six months after the child first comes under
notice as defective). Combining the results of first and second re-inspections it is
found that 79-2 per cent, of children found ailing were finally treated or discharged.
This result is still better than that in the previous year, which was the best result
obtained up to that time.
As in past years the greatest amount of leakage took place in regard to dental
treatment. The dental chair still holds terrors that are not approached even by
those of the operation for tonsils and adenoids.