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were found to be defective. The condition of the teeth was appaling.
The extent of caries may be imagined, when it is stated that
an arbitrary standard of 4 obvious caries was accepted. Even with
this low standard 16% of the boys, 13% of the girls, and 11% of
the infants were found to fall below the standard.
In spite of these facts, a dental surgeon was not appointed
until 1914, and at the start, the scheme was limited to 3 schools—
Priory, Southfield and Central, and only children between the
ages of 6 and 8 years were examined and treated.
An Aural Surgeon was appointed in 1913, but owing to lack
of accommodation the scheme for the efficient treatment of otorrhoea
and the removal of Tonsils and Adenoids, was not put into operation
until 1914, though some treatment of discharging ears had been
given on the appointment of a school nurse in 1909.
Attention was frequently called to these old standing cases
of otorrhoea in the early Annual Reports, as their presence in the
schools was most objectionable both to the teachers and the other
scholars, but we were almost helpless, exclusion of these children
was of little service, as no other complaint would result in such prolonged
absence from school. We quite appreciated the objections
to their attendance, not only did we see children with discharge
trickling out of their ears when they attended the minor ailment
clinic, but in some of the classrooms the smell was most noticeable
and in some almost unbearable.
Mr. Fred Stoker supervised the treatment of these cases from
1914, and attended also for the operation of the removal of Tonsils
and Adenoids, and a great improvement was soon noticeable, the
sickening smell of chronic discharging ears was soon a thing of the
past.
In 1914, 36 children were operated on under the Council's
scheme for the removal of Tonsils and Adenoids, but in 6 years
this number had gone up to 279. The work was done either at
the Council Offices or in the old Army Huts, until arrangements
were made with the Authorities of the Acton Hospital, so that the
operation could be carried out at the Hospital and all cases should
stay at least one night after the operation in the Hospital. I can
imagine the look of horror on the faces of the Aldermen and
Councillors now if they saw about a dozen children lying on
stretchers in one of the rooms in the Town Hall, or carried out
through the corridors by their parents after an operation, but it
was the only way open to us at the time and it had the sanction of