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64
The report of the School Aural Surgeon shows a steady continuation
of the work carried out in previous years. A slight
increase in the number of children referred from the Council's
Maternity and Child Welfare Clinics will be noted. It is to be hoped
that the early treatment now obtainable for the children in the
district may lessen the number who have to be treated for aural
defects when they enter school. I would draw attention to the
fact that out of 60 children found to be suffering from acute disease
of the middle ear, 50 were treated and discharged cured. This is a
condition that unless promptly and efficiently treated is apt to lead to
chronic discharge from the ear and even deafness.
The report of the Senior Dental Surgeon is once again full of
interest. Good as is the dental treatment offered to the children of
Enfield, I cannot persuade myself that it is as yet complete.
According to Sir George Newman, Chief Medical Officer to the
Ministry of Health and the Board of Education, one dentist can
have under his care about 4,000 children, provided that of these
4,000 children 75 per cent. actually require treatment and about
60 per cent .accept it. In Enfield 71 per cent. of our children were
found to need dental treatment in 1934, and about 65 per cent.
accepted it; therefore we should need one dentist for each 4,000
school children annually inspected. There are two dentists for
roughly 10,000 elementary school children, whilst, in view of the
fact that dental treatment will be provided in 1935 for secondary
school children, another 1,000 must be added to this number, making
two dentists for 11,000 children. The school population has increased
by nearly 1,000 in the last five years, apart from secondary school
children. It cannot be expected, therefore, that the same dental
treatment can be given to the number of children we now have to
deal with as could be before this increase in number. It is not yet
possible to see that each child is dentally examined once a year, nor
to treat promptly all those children who would accept treatment
if they were examined during the course of the year.
During the latter part of 1934 special arrangements were made
by the Milk Marketing Board and the Board of Education to make
milk available at cheap prices for children attending elementary
schools. Certain conditions were laid down, however: (1) that the
supply of milk should be such as was approved by the Medical Officer
of Health; and (2) that the milk should be drunk on the school
premises. It was further recommended that where available the
milk supplied should be pasteurised and delivered in one-third pint
bottles. My approval was sought as to the supply of milk, and I
specified, according to the recommendation of the Board of
Education, that I would only approve pasteurised milk. Several