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88
Annual Report of the School
Medical Officer
DENNIS H. GEFFEN.
M.D., B.S., D.P.H., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.
For the Year ending 31st December, 1936.
To the Chairman and Members of the
Enfield Education Committee.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to submit my annual report on the health of the school
children of Enfield during the year ending 31st December, 1936.
The figures in the report show that there has been an increase
of over 400 in the school population, and, in consequence thereof,
a corresponding increase in the work that has been carried out.
It must be remembered that for the past five years the
years the school population has steadily increased, and that together
with this, the Committee has undertaken the inspection and treatment
of over 1,000 secondary school children. During the past
ten years the staff has been increased by the addition of one parttime
medical officer; the increase of work, however, is now falling
somewhat heavily on the school nurses, and I think the time has
come when an additional nurse will be required.
In these opening remarks I would like to refer to an investigation
which Dr. Forrester and I carried out in conjunction with the
teachers of each of our schools. I had received complaints from
various sources that children returned to school on Monday listless
and tired after their week-end, rather than rested and keen for
work. In order to investigate this matter I asked the teachers to
give me certain information concerning the habits of school childre n,
and although this entailed a large amount of work, the forms sent
in were most satisfactorily completed. The result of this investigation
will be found in a special report.