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71
Many children when they attend school have become almost
or totally blind in one or both eyes, and the blindness often results
from causes which could have been removed. Whatever may have
been the cause of a squint, it is admitted that a continuous squint
involves a weakening or loss of visual function, and that the
younger a child the more readily does this occur. A neglected
squint which can be cured in the early years of a child's life may
lead to blindness in the affected eye in later years. Usually
excellent results follow early treatment. Two of the children
attending the Infant Consultation at the Priory School had a very
bad squint. They were advised treatment and obtained glasses
at a hospital. The squint has almost entirely disappeared and the
child's sight appears very good. Very frequently, it requires
intelligent care and patience on the part of the mother in addition
to the wearing of spectacles, but where the mother has been
instructed, the results are most gratifying.
The seeds of dental disease suffered from in after-life are
sown between the ages of 3 and 5. In the school report stress
is laid upon the necessity of care of the temporary teeth. It is
generally held that the problem of dental caries is primarily a
question of diet, and by far the most important factor in the
production of dental caries in children is unsuitabilitv in the
character of the food provided from infancy onwards. If an improvement
in this direction is to be obtained, it can only come
about through education and a change in the dietetic habits of
children.
Many other ailments could be mentioned, and it all shows
that the question is a far greater one than can be adequately dealt
with by the means at our disposal. In this district, the question
is a wider one still, on account of the industrial conditions which
prevail. Not only is there need for some supervision of children
who remain untreated for slight ailments, but there are here many
children whose mothers for one reason or another are unable to
provide the care and attention required to secure a healthy growth
and development.