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2
EDMONTON EDUCATION COMMITTEE.
REPORT of the School Medical Officer
for the year ended December 31st, 1918.
Town Hali., Edmonton, N. 9.
To the Chairman and Members.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I herewith submit my seventh Annual Keport.
Dr. K. H. Strong continued acting as School Medical Inspector throughout
1918, and again his work was made more difficult by the absence of the
permanent School Nurse for some months.
The Education Act of 1918, and the establishment of a School Clinic, will
bring more work and responsibility of administration on me, your School Medical
Officer, and it is probable that one-sixth of my time will not suffice for carrying
out my old and new duties. This can easily be arranged for, if I am relieved of
the routine executive work as M.O.H. by the appointment of an Assistant
Medical Officer of Health. I am drawing my Council's attention to this point in
my first preface to this volume.
In April Mr. E. 0. Taylor of St. Helen's, Lanes, was appointed to succeed
Mr. Arthur Heap as Secretary. Since then two standing sub committees have
been formed:—(l) The School Management and (2) The Finance. Time will
show the value, or otherwise, of these additional meetings.
Sir George Newman, Chief Medical Officer at the Board of Education, in his
report for 1917, said
" The School Medical Service should not be regarded only as an
agency Super-imposed on other agencies for the public benefit. It is not
concerned merely with picking out the noticeable defects and ailments of
school children, and remedying or mitigating them ; it is concerned to
watch over the normal as well as the abnormal growth of children and
neutralise, as far as possible, the obstacles of environment, constitution
and habits which impede natural growth."
Rate per thousand
inhabitants.
The births numbered 1862 in 1913 27'98
1196 in 1918 16'09
666 less. 11'89 less.
The effect of this terrible lowering of the birthrate will, from now onwards,
be seen in the diminishing number of scholars entering school at the age of five
years. The number will be smaller and smaller until September, 1924. This
fact must be borne in mind, when making calculations about new developments in
the immediate future.
I am, Ladies and Gentlemen
Your obedient Servant,
25th August, 1919.
SIDNEY C. LAWRENCE,
School Medical Officer.