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Lollard-street (Girls) open-air class. (Dr. Adam.)
Average increase in weight 1.8 kilos. General all-round improvement.
Winstanley-road open-air class. (Dr. Pollock.)
Average increase in weight 1.7 kilos. Only one child appeared to suffer from bronchitis,
and that cleared up before the last inspection.
Walnut Tree-walk (Boys) open-air class. (Dr. Adam.)
Average increase in weight 1.2 kilos. One boy who lost weight has a rheumatic history
and is undergoing hospital treatment. In others general all round improvement.
Nightingale-square (R.C.) open-air class. (Dr. S. H. Griffiths.)
Average increase in weight 2.2 kilos. There were no rheumatic children in the class. Children
with enlarged cervical glands did well.
Putney C.E. open-air class. (Dr. H. McQuaid.)
Average increase in weight 1 kilo. I was amazed to find that in spite of the bad weather
this class has shown excellent results : 26 out of the 28 children look really well. Those with
bronchitis are all much better. The enlarged cervical glands subsided in those children with
chronic cervical adenitis.
West-hill (Infants) school open-air class. (Dr. R. S. Johnson.)
Average increase in weight 0.78 kilos. A case of recurrent pyelitis lost all symptoms and
gained 1.1 kilos. Two cases of bronchitis now show no signs in chest; in two cases enlarged
cervical glands subsided.
Burdett-Coutts (Infants) open-air class. (Dr. Danvers-Atkinson.)
One child showed symptoms of rheumatism and was discharged from the class.
At the Lollard-street (girls) open-air class an interesting "unofficial" arrangement
was made for the girls to sleep out in the garden of the Lady Margaret Hall
Settlement. This is described in the following letter from the care committee member
who organised the experiment:—
We could hardly have found a less propitious summer for the experiment, and during the
greater part of the time the children had to sleep in our hut, with the doors wide open, instead
of in the garden. They came however with unfailing regularity, loved coming, slept like tops,
and gave wonderfully little trouble. When the middle of August came and we were all going
away for our holidays, I had to tell the children that they must stop coming, and I shall not
forget the wails of the two eldest in particular, who had to go home to sleep, one on a broken sofa,
the other to be one of three in a bed. I think that in each of these oases there were 5 or 6 people
in one small room. The experiment was not a very long one—6 or 7 weeks—and the season was
bad, but it certainly did seem to do the children good, and the mothers were enthusiastic about
it. The school doctor at Lollard-street school expressed much interest in the experiment and
knew which children were coming here. I quite hope that we may be able to do this again next
summer, possibly on a larger scale.
Convalescent camp schools.
The numbers of children passing through the residential convalescent camp
schools during 1931 were: boys, 2,807; girls, 1,510; total, 4,317.
The experimental camp school for mentally defective children at Loughton has
already been described. Still another additional provision has been an arrangement
by which a certain number of Roman Catholic girls are sent to St. Mary's, Dover.
In detail the numbers were:—
Provided schools:— Boys. Girls.
King's Canadian School, Bushy 2,718 —
Barham House, St. Leonards 64 493
Wanstead House, Margate — 531
Totals 2,782 1,024
Non-Provided schools:—
Fairfield House, Broadstairs — 168
Russell Cotes School, Bournemouth — 237
St. Mary's, Dover — 56
Loughton 25 25
Totals 25 486