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passages, thus enabling the child to breathe more freely, and so
reducing the catarrh which so frequently is the cause of defective
hearing.
(e) Dental Defects.
The work done by the School Dental Surgeon is shown in Table
IV, Group V, of the Statistics. The figures given there are an
indication of the amount and the nature of the work done. Every
attempt is being made by the Dental Surgeon to concentrate on the
routine inspection and treatment, and to discourage the casual case
which is, far too often, the case in which treatment has been refused
when advised at the time of the routine inspection, because the
mother did not believe in fillings, and only asked for at a later stage
when the tooth is no longer saveable, and nothing but extraction
is possible. It will be seen that the ratio of fillings to extractions
in permanent teeth is very satisfactory 2,678 fillings to 396extractions.
In the case of the temporary teeth, on the other hand, much less
time is given to fillings, and the extractions are very greatly in
excess of fillings, 2,056 to 397. Almost the whole elementary
school population is now covered by routine inspection and treatment,
which means that the Dental Surgeon's time is very fully occupied
in trying to overtake all the work there is to do. The work, I am
glad to say, is being well and carefully done, and during the past
few years there has been a very considerable improvement in the
condition of the children's teeth generally.
(f) Defects of Speech.
Miss Dawson, the teacher in charge of the Speech Defect Clinic
has held two classes each week during the year, one for children of
twelve years and over, and the other for children under twelve.
Each class is limited to eight pupils, so that each child can receive
individual attention. The principal defect dealt with is stammering,
but other defects have also been treated during the year, such as
the defective pronunciation of cleft palate cases, and difficulties
in pronouncing individual letters. Improvement in most of these
cases is slow, but with the co-operation of the parents and of the
children themselves, a very great deal can be done, and excellent
results are obtained in a 'arge proportion of the cases dealt with.
(g) Artificial Sunlight Treatment.
Only one child received artificial sunlight treatment under
arrangements made by the Committee, during the year. This was
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