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95
that the children upon whom we operate are sent to the War Memorial
Hospital—a hospital which is under the medical control of the
general practitioners of the district, and where the children are
operated upon by doctors who have the confidence not only of the
School Medical Department, but of the public, and of the doctors
in the district. If comparisons are to be made with other districts
all these factors should be taken into consideration. In actual fact
the number of children in Enfield schools who have had their tonsils
and adenoids removed is less than in the Public Schools of England,
where it is fair to assume that the operation is carried out only after
expert advice has been obtained.
In September the school routine was disturbed by the crisis,
and I have attempted to assay the mental effect upon the children of
Enfield. In this connection I have had the co-operation of all our
head teachers. I wrote to them asking for such information as they
could give me as to whether the crisis caused any signs of fear in the
children, what effect, if any, it had on their work, and how they
reacted to the excitement of the period. Mr. Pascal and I were fully
aware of the outstanding calm and efficiency with which the teachers
dealt with the exigencies of the time, and the sense of strength and
steadiness which they imparted not only to the children but also
to the neighbourhood. There was a concensus of opinion that no
signs of fear were apparent in the children attending our schools,
that there was little effect on their work, that there was a sense of
excitement largely on account of the fact that some of the children
thought they might go away, or alternatively that the schools
might be closed. One teacher remarked that there was that same
sense of excitement as might be caused by preparation for a school
concert, or national holiday. Certain children had showed signs of
fear, but on going to school where an atmosphere of calm prevailed
had soon settled down. The children did not realise the meaning of
a war, and generally the crisis caused no nerve strain upon them.
Whilst this was the general impression we all had I was glad to
have it confirmed by those whose duty it was to look after the
children of our district during the major portion of the day.
The effect upon the teachers was not quite so happy, and many
reports state that the staff showed signs of nerve strain and that
there was excessive illness following upon the crisis. A typical
remark is as follows:—
"The members of the staff understanding the implications
of the crisis, and realising their responsibility with regard to
the children, were subjected to a certain amount of strain
which may, or may not, have been responsible for a considerable
amount of illness in the Spring Term."
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the teachers
for their reports. I know that the Committee feel with me that the