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37
The number of "slight treatments" for dental conditions in 1937 was 12,827.
Parents are invited by notices in the treatment centres to pay the full cost of treatment
to the Council if they can afford it.
For refraction of the eyes no charge is made as the Board of Education has
indicated that refraction is "further inspection." The cost of spectacles, however,
is borne bv the parents assisted, if necessarv, from voluntary funds.

Where parents are too poor to pay anything, treatment is given and the charges
are remitted after reference to the school care committees. The amount recovered
from parents in 1937 was £14,072.
Voluntary
hospitals
Co-operation of voluntary bodies
A very valuable arrangement exists whereby one of the Council's organisers
attends at many voluntary hospitals which are not included in the Council's scheme
of medical treatment. These include the children's departments of the following
hospitals: the Belgrade, Charing Cross, Guy's, the London, the Miller, the Queen's,
West London, and Poplar. Organisers are also attached to the aural, eye and skin
departments of Guy's hospital.
Guy's
hospital
As an example of the work carried out under this provision, is given the following
report of the divisional treatment organiser, who has assistant organisers working
in the aural, eye, orthopædic and skin departments of Guy's hospital, and in the
diphtheria carrier clinic:—
The organisers form a link between the hospital physicians and surgeons and the school
authorities. Reports are sent to the care committees on children attending the hospital, and
the care committees send reports for the information of the physicians and surgeons. The
almoner is very helpful in obtaining reports on children attending departments where there is
no organiser.
One of the children's physicians asked to have an organiser to work in the children's department
in order to ensure closer co-operation with the schools. Accordingly, on 1st September,
1937, an organiser began work in that department and attends three mornings a week.
The number of new children seen in the aural department during the year was 1,132, of whom
583 were discharged cured and an additional 24 were reported well by the care committees. There
were 45 operations for removal of tonsils and adenoids.
In the eye department, 652 new patients were seen during the year. Glasses were prescribed
for 454 children and 428 obtained their glasses, 150 children were retested and found not to
need a change of glasses and 47 children required no glasses.
The number of new children seen in the orthopædic department during the year was 189,
and 37 were discharged cured. Two children were found not to need treatment and 144 left
school, left London, lapsed attendance or were treated elsewhere. There were 15 operations
performed in the out-patient department, and 641 children attend periodically for supervision.
Many children from this department are referred to the massage department for treatment. The
organiser checks their attendances and reports to the care committee if they do not attend
regularly.
In the skin department, 545 new children attended during the year. Of that number 3 were
cases of ringworm of the head and 76 were cases of scabies. The ringworm cases were referred
to the light department of the hospital, and most of the scabies cases were referred to the school
bathing centres for treatment.
The number of new children seen in the children's department since 1st September, 1937,
was 364.
In the diphtheria carrier clinic, 54 new cases were treated, with a total of 195 attendances.
Most of the children who attended in the aural, eye and skin departments are treated at home,
but, for some, the surgeon recommends daily nursing treatment and the organiser arranges for
such children to attend for daily treatment at the school treatment centres.
The numbers of children referred to the school medical officer for special examination were
as follows: for schools for the physically defective, 2; for elementary schools from schools for
the physically defective, 4; for schools for the partially sighted, 1; for easy treatment (myopes),
2; for schools for the deaf, 4.