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extension. They do so because when properly conducted they
give an opportunity for parents to ask questions which concern
them personally, regarding the healthy upbringing of their
children. Such advice is sought from the family doctor only when
definite illness is thought to be present, but no such qualification
is required where school medical examinations are concerned.
General lectures on health education cannot equal in effect information
given to parents in response to enquiries about their'own
children. I am, therefore, pleased to be able to report that the
extension of routine examinations, initiated by my predecessor, is
now operating. It is appropriate in this connection to recollect
that under the 1944 Education Act, the title "School Medical"
was changed to " School Health Service."
The customary ascertainment of children requiring special
educational treatment has continued, and close co-operation maintained
with all hospitals dealing with Croydon School children,
so that education appropriate for the children concerned was
arranged with a minimum of delay. There were waiting lists for
the Day Schools dealing with physically handicapped and educationally
sub-normal pupils, but steps are being taken to remedy
this by the building of additional classrooms.
The South-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board
accepted responsibility for the provision of Ophthalmic Surgeons
for the School Eye Clinics, but arrangements for the supply of
glasses remained under the Supplementary Ophthalmic Service
with an average waiting period between prescription and supply
of several months. A scheme of giving whatever priority was
possible to cases certified by the Surgeon as urgent, was introduced
and worked quite well.
The Senior Dental Officer deals with the difficulties which
confront the School Dental Service. There has been a marked
improvement in the general dental health of children during the
last decade, no doubt associated with better nutrition. It is all
the more unfortunate that the opportunity to intensify the preventive
aspects of school dentistry and thus consolidate and expedite
this improvement has been set back by the equivalent of 20 years
by the advent of the National Health Service Act, 1948. For it
was in 1930 that the Education Committee appointed a third
Dental Officer and lowered the number of children served by each
officer from 10,000 to 7,000—the figure at which it now stands.
At that time it was noted that the Ministry of Education recommended
one dentist to 5,000 children as an immediate ratio and