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number of individual children found to be verminous in the course of the year as
distinct from the record of instances of uncleanliness, and arrangements have
accordingly been made for this individual figure to be obtained in connection with
the records for 1933.
A high standard is required before a child is classified as "clean." Even if
only afflicted with a few nits, a child is classed as verminous, and the condition
brought to the notice of the parents. The advice cards definitely set out the methods
which can be adopted for remedying the condition; and the nursing staff at the
cleansing centres can requisition from the supplies department a stock of special
metal combs for sale to parents.
There are now 10 Council centres, 20 borough council centres, and 10 centres
organised by voluntary committees; but, as the last named are limited to head
cleansings, these are not equipped with sterilisers or baths. A small sub-centre
organised by a voluntary committee at Putney began operations in 1932.
The following particulars for 1932 are in respect of the cleansing scheme operated
from the Council's and borough councils' centres (as distinct from the "head"
cleansing centres):—
Number of advice cards issued to parents 90,800
Number of children attending voluntarily at bathing centres after advice cards 45,972
Number of statutory notices served in accordance with section 87 of the
Education Act, 1921 24,248
Number attending bathing centres after statutory notices—
(а) voluntarily 4,793
(b) compulsorily 16,139
Number of cases in which police court proceedings were taken 279
As in the case of the rota inspections these returns have been obtained from
terminal records, and here again it is probable that certain children are reported more
than once during the year. The problem of the repeated attendance is a difficult one,
having regard to the serious lack of facilities in many homes; on the other hand
the constant repetition of voluntary facilities offered by the Council is liable to be
abused, and a proposal is to be considered that, if a child once attends voluntarily
at a centre as a result of the invitation set out on the advice card, the next notice,
a statutory one, should not contain an offer of a voluntary attendance at a cleansing
centre.
Ambulances are provided for the conveyance of children from out-lying schools
to the bathing centres. During 1932,11,923 children were thus conveyed, practically
all compulsory cases.
Co-operation with the medical officers of the City of London and the metropolitan
boroughs in remedying verminous conditions in the homes of children has been
continued.
The number of children attending for warm baths during school hours was
30,405 in 1932, compared with 34,529 in 1931.
Use of
Borough
Councils'
washing
baths.
Health Classes.
Health classes are authorised by the Education Committee and organised
in schools where special facilities exist. A number of pupils not exceeding 25,
selected by the school doctor, are taken daily for physical exercises, preferably in
the open-air, by a teacher on the ordinary staff of the school who is especially
experienced. They are intended to correct posture deformities of the spine and
feet in an early stage, and by giving the children simple appropriate exercises
more frequently than is possible generally, to prevent the development of more
advanced conditions of flat-foot or spinal curvature. Formerly these classes were
more numerous in the schools, and produced very satisfactory results. Unfortunately,
for various reasons the number of health classes has decreased. In 1932
they numbered 74. 29 being in bovs' and 45 in girls' departments.