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from scabies and impetigo were treated at the bathing centres apart from the medical
treatment scheme, and these are included under the heading of minor ailments in
table IV at the end of this report, which brings the total number of children treated
for minor ailments to 136,707.
The minor ailments sessions are always well attended. The original basis of
calculating the numbers in connection with the provision for treatment was 15 new
cases to each doctor's session. This on an average is greatly exceeded in practice,
thus the total number treated is always higher than the nominal provision.
During the year, two additional minor ailments centres were opened, viz., the
Charlton centre at Sherington Road school and the Eltham sub.centre at Middle
Park school. In each of these, advantage has been taken of the new medical inspection
rooms which are now provided as a standard feature of all new and reconditioned
schools. The rooms are fitted with sinks, basins and hot.plates for heating
the sterilisers. The provision of minor ailments centres on school premises is of very
great advantage both to the schools and to the parents. The total number of minor
ailments centres is 76 including the two new centres mentioned above. In addition,
the Council subsidised minor ailments treatment at the Bloomsbury dispensary, the
Public Dispensary, Drury.lane, and St. Martin's Northern school. Daily nursing
treatment is also provided at 13 outlying schools where difficulty is experienced
in arranging for the attendance of the children at the centres.
Dental
treatment
The total number of dental treatment centres at the end of 1937 was 71, including
Berkshire Road school centre and the Eastman clinic. Two new centres
were opened during the year at Honor Oak (Brockley Road school), and south
Hammersmith (Waterloo Street school). As previously mentioned, the Lissonia
centre was transferred in August, 1937, from Salisbury.street, Edgware.road, to
the new health centre No. 2, at 217, Lisson.grove, W.1.
The Hoxton school treatment centre was also transferred in November, 1937,
from temporary premises at the former St. John's Road (M.D.) school to a new
building specially built for the purpose by the Council on a site in Sarah.street,
adjoining the new Drysdale Street housing estate, Hoxton, N.l.
The dental inspection of the children has been undertaken by 75 part.time
inspecting dental surgeons, of whom 15 are women, and 2,974 half days were devoted
to the work during the year.
Prior to 1st April, 1935, it was the practice to exclude from the dental inspections
held by the dental surgeons the children in the four age groups medically inspected
by the school doctors. About that time, it was decided in principle that all children
in the schools should be inspected by the inspecting dental surgeons and it was
arranged that, as from that date, one age group should be added to the dental inpections
in each of the three succeeding years. During 1935, the age group 7.8 years
was included; in 1936, the age group 11 years was added, and from 1st April, 1937,
the entrant and leaver groups were included. Thus provision was made for the
dental inspection of all school children at least once a year.
The number of children inspected during the year was 315,016, and of these
215,243 were found to require treatment, a percentage of 68.32. Prior to 1932, the
percentage of children noted as requiring treatment was progressively reduced from
81.94 in 1914 to 63.86 in 1932, and during that period the former apathy of the
parents to dental treatment had been to some extent overcome.
It will be noted that, although provision is now made for the dental inspection
annually of all children in the schools, only 315,016 children were, in fact, inspected,
out of an average attendance of 417,028. This is due to the facts that provision
for the dental inspection of entrants and leavers was only made during part of the
year 1937, and that there is always some leakage in dental inspections owing to
absences from their usual classes of children on the dates of the visits of the dental
inspector. In addition to absences for illness, there are many withdrawals by
parents of their children from dental inspection, and there are also absences,
especially of the older children, through educational visits, attendance at special
classes for manual training, housewifery, etc.