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11
At the same time the Medical Officers and the Health Visitors
have been devoting attention to the younger children not yet
attending school. Examinations for cleanliness have been carried
out in a way not to give offence to the mothers and advice has been
given in appropriate cases. The home may be the place where
advice on the maintenance of cleanliness can be given when it can
give least offence but the examination of children's heads in. the
home is an action that would court disaster as far as the relations
between the Health Visitor and the mothers are concerned.
Informal lectures or talks on cleanliness are always part of
the duties of the health visitors at the Health Centres where no
mother is singled out for special attention and where the advice
is received in the best spirit. In these.talks, which are usually
followed up in the homes in appropriate cases, the maintenance of
general cleanliness and the promotion of good habits are specially
dealt with.
As a matter of fact all the points referred to in Circular 2831
of the Ministry of Health, even to the possible use of Lethane Oil,
had been considered previously to the receipt of the Circular.
In order to ascertain the effect of the measures adopted in
Ealing with reference to children under 5 years of age, a particular
examination was made in 1941 of all the children passing through
the hands of the medical officers at various Health Centres over
a period of several weeks. The results proved to be much better
than anticipated.

These figures speak well for the efficacy of the measures
that have been adopted.