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facilitated by the provision of the admirable clinic premises opened
in Lodge Road at the beginning of 1926. In 1925 two additional
forms of treatment were made available for school childrensynthetic
sunlight treatment for the delicate child, and orthopaedic
treatment for the cripple child.
Dental Supervision and Treatment.— The development in the
facilities for dental inspection and treatment has been the most
striking individual feature of the past five years. The rapid increase
indicated in the figures given below is but a feeble measure of the
benefit which the town is now receiving, and will continue in
increasing measure to receive, from this beneficent scheme, which
is dealing not only with the school child, but also with the child
below school age at the time when dental decay first shows itself,
and with the expectant mother, whose own state of health largely
determines the liability of the child to dental decay.
The Abnormal Child.— During the past two years the register
of physically and mentally defective children has been revised and
brought up to date, with the result—a natural one, though
unexpected at first sight—that the numbers on the register were
materially decreased instead of increased. This was found to be
the case in spite of the addition of names of fresh children brought
to light through the co-operation of teachers, attendance officers,
and health visitors. There must always tend to accumulate in
such a register the names of children who have left the town, left
school, died, or even recovered from the physical disability to an
extent making it desirable to regard them as healthy rather than
as defective children. The value of frequent systematic revision of
such registers is thus emphasised. The "backward" classes
established during recent years in an increasing number of schools
have also played a most helpful part in the development of the child
who is on the border line of mental defect, or who is backward only
through physical defect or retarded development. In this connection
it may perhaps be noted that the Occupation Centre opened in 1924
by the Mental Deficiency Committee has done much to assist the
lower grade of mentally defective child with whom the Education
Committee could not themselves deal.
Supervision of Personal Cleanliness.— The table given below
shows the steady extension in the surveys of school children made
by health visitors for the purpose of detecting uncleanly conditions.
It is reassuring to note the corresponding steady decrease in the
prevalence of verminous conditions resulting from the co-operation
between teachers, parents, health visitors and the children themselves.