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impeded by staff shortages, but as the future location of central office
premises was uncertain, delay seemed advisable until this question was
settled.
Personal Hygiene
The recorded numbers of skin defects were average figures, but infestation
with head lice increased despite strenuous efforts to prevent,
find and treat this annoying condition. There is no evidence that the
latest insecticide was ineffective, but its use must finally be followed
by careful washing and combing. Furthermore current hair styles demand
constant care and cleanliness if infestation is to be avoided. Plantar
warts maintain their troublesome prevalence, and efforts to find a shorter
method of cure were pursued with some modest success.
Vision Defects
The system of referral to opticians begun in 1971 worked satisfactorily.
Children referred in this way were reviewed in six months to ensure
the examination had been carried out, and there was no evidence that any
more children failed to attend the optician than would fail an appointment
at an Eye Clinic.
Educationally Subnormal Children
There was no return to the position of previous years with a long waiting
list of children needing assessment, but the same cannot be noted for the
number (72) waiting entry to a day special school.
Maladjusted Children
Last year comment was made about a three-fold increase in the number
of children ascertained as maladjusted over the previous years. This was
maintained during 1972, and the Sir Cyril Burt Day School has a waiting list
for most age groups in both the day and residential departments, as has the
unit for non-communicating children. Dr. Crosse in his report on the Child
Guidance Service comments on these facts and on the efforts made to increase
facilities at the Clinic.
Health Education
The Principal Health Education Officer sets out in some detail the continuing
development of this service in schools. From the outset our local
health education efforts have been directed to influence two main groups of
the population - parents concerned with the upbringing of children, and
children themselves. For the latter we have sought to offer help to teachers,
in the hope that health education would become part of the usual school
curriculum. The effects of this long term approach are incapable of speedy
evaluation and await findings when school children so educated form a new
generation of parents. It was thought very important to maintain the firm