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50
SECTION 6
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
1957 was the Golden Jubilee of the School Health Service
and it is timely to recall tiie events which led to
its introduction, The South African War had focussed public
attention on the poor condition of the nation's young
manhood as judged by the rejection rate of army recruits
on medical grounds. In 1904 a Committee enquired widely
into this to determine the cause and suggest measures for
improvement, Due consideration was given to the schoolchild
and all the medical witnesses laid great stress
upon the need for a complete system of medical inspections
in schools. Accordingly in 1907 Parliament passed legislation
bringing into being the School Medical Service to
provide regular and compulsory inspection of children.
Looking back over the last fifty years in Ealing we
see that during the year 1908 the first printed report
showed that 1,488 children Were examined. In 19090 which
was the first complete year, 2,423 children were examined
compared with 24,000 in 1957, A more striking fact still,
however, is that the percentage of children whose general
condition was considered unsatisfactory in that year was
50% compared with 0.4% in 1957, The early reports all3
show how high was the percentage of verminous children
Thus in 1911 it was 10% but even so this was considered
reasonably satisfactory. The figure for 1957 was 0 1%,
The first school clinic opened at Mattock Lane in
1919, and in 1925 orthopaedic treatment was made available.
Steady improvement was made in the service until
the outbreak of war in 1939 Medical, examination of children
for evacuation and the increase of scabies were two
problems which had to be dealt with in the early war years.
In 1943 the first full-time speech therapist was appointed
and a year later the Child Guidance Clinic opened During
1949 the Ealing Contributory Shoe Scheme was inaugurated
in order to improve foot health in the Borough, and an
Orthodontic Clinic was opened 1950 saw the introduction
of electronic equipment for hearing tests in schools, and
the commencement of a dental X-ray service, in 1954 a speech
*
Class was formed, and in 1956 an Asthma Clinic was started*
Thus it will be seen that the last fifty years has
been a period of continual progress. In the early days of
the service a very high percentage of children were found