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78
Twenty-one children were given cod-liver oil and malt,
Parrish's Food, etc., and nine convalescent treatment; 331 pairs
of ordinary boots were also provided.
Through the medium of the Children's Care Committee, massage
is provided for the children requiring it. A fee of two shillings per
visit is charged, and this is paid by the parent whenever possible.
In really necessitous cases the Care Committee bears the cost.
The National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children
assists in dealing with parents who are guilty of continued neglect.
In addition to the services already set out as being rendered
to school children, during the course of the year two children were
provided with surgical boots, two with surgical instruments, one
child suffering from diabetes was provided with insulin, one child
was provided with an artificial eye, and one with a spinal jacket.
In addition to the children already mentioned who were sent to
Parkstone or Bexhill, one child was given convalescent treatment
elsewhere.
CO-OPERATION OF LOCAL PRACTITIONERS.
One of the strongest bulwarks in a school medical sercive is the
support of the general practitioner. It is to the family doctor that
parents go when they are worried concerning the health of their
children. Many practitioners have brought to my notice cases
where the school medical service could be helpful, and in every case
I have been able to give the help required. On the other hand, it is
the routine for children found to be suffering from conditions that
should not be treated at our Minor Ailment Clinic to be referred to
the family doctor. It is interesting to note that during the course
of the Christmas term alone, 130 children were advised to seek
advice from their family doctor.
BLIND, DEAF, EPILEPTIC AND MENTALLY DEFECTIVE
CHILDREN.
There is no special school for the blind in this area, and children
suffering from vision so defective that they are unable to be taught
in an ordinary elementary school are educated either at a special
school in Edmonton or Wood Green or at a residential school for the
blind. There are 11 such children in Enfield, and they are educated
as follows:—
3 girls attending residential schools for the blind.
2 boys and one girl attending Edmonton School for the
Partially Blind.