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the Committee in the latter part of the year that steps would have
to be taken to deal with this disease, and plans are now under consideration
by the Council for the setting up of a scabies clinic.
Space does not allow me to place before you, in full, the report
I have received from Mr. James on the dental condition of our school
children. As usual, it is full of information. The work carried
out during the year showed an increase on that of 1939. 73.7 per
cent. of the children examined were found to need treatment, and,
of these, 65.3 per cent. received treatment by the school dentists.
Sixteen children had special apparatus fixed in order to effect
regulation of the growth of their teeth.
Mr. James states that the conservative treatment of teeth has
always been a marked feature of the Enfield School Dental Service,
a feature that is being well maintained under war conditions, as
shown by the large number of fillings inserted during the year under
review, viz., 6,421.
I have no hesitation in assuring the Committee, not only of
the fine work our dentists are doing for the school children, but
also of their enthusiasm. The number of children who accept
treatment varies from school to school. It may be as low as 63
per cent. or as high as 97 per cent. The higher figure shows what
was achieved at St. George's C. of E. School, and it reflects credit
not only on the dentists, but in particular on the Head Teacher
concerned, and on the parents of the children. 1 can do no more
than repeat that the success of the School Medical and Dental
Service rests largely in the hands of the Head Teachers, to whom
once again I wish to pay a tribute.
At one school in Enfield it was found that no less than 34.6
per cent. of the entrants were naturally fit, that is to say, no teeth
had been extracted or filled and no teeth were carious. In view of
the fact that in other schools this figure varies between five and ten
per cent., it is worthy of note. The school in question is Merryhills,
and this excellent percentage is the result of the wise care which
the parents of the children have devoted to the up-bringing of their
children, their preparedness to study child hygiene and child nurture,
and to avail themselves of the services provided by the Local Authority.
What has been achieved at Merrhyills can, and should,
be achieved elsewhere.
Enfield children have learned to take air raids in their stride.
They are not unduly frightened of them, and we are not having
children brought to us suffering from the war complaint of "nerves
as a result of air raids." This is particularly interesting in view
of the fact that this happy position did not pertain during the last
war when air raids were in no way so severe as they were in 1940.
In those days it was quite a routine for children to be dubbed as