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homes by the Visitation Officer, to see whether treatment is being
obtained and, if not, to impress on the parent the importance of
obtaining it. In most cases the necessary treatment is obtained
without undue delay either privately or at hospital or at the School
Clinic, but in a minority of cases considerable pressure has to be
brought to bear on individual parents before treatment is provided.
The number of visits paid during the year by the Visitation Officer
in the work of following up defects found at medical inspection
has been 2,365.
VII.—ARRANGEMENTS FOR TREATMENT.
The normal procedure is to recommend the parents of children
found to require medical treatment to obtain the treatment privately
from the family doctor or at hospital, but where the circumstances
are such as to make it difficult or impossible to obtain treatment
privately, provision has been made by the Education Committee
for the treatment of certain types of defect . Treatment is provided
at the School Clinic for minor ailments, dental defects, and defects
of vision, hearing and speech. Tonsils and adenoids have been
dealt with and ultra-violet light treatment provided at the North
Middlesex Hospital, and ultra-violet light treatment and X-ray
treatment for ringworm at the Royal Northern Hospital.
(a) Minor Ailments.
Seven hundred and fifty-eight children were treated at the
Clinic for minor ailments, these comprising mainly septic conditions
of the skin, minor injuries, inflammatory conditions of the ears and
eyes, and other similar conditions which tend to receive fittle
attention at home, but may, if neglected, have a detrimental effect
on the health of the child.
(b) Tonsils and Adenoids.
Only two children were operated on during the year under the
Committee's scheme for enlarged tonsils and adenoids, while a
further eight were dealt with privately at home or in hospital.
This number is very small and is only a fraction of the number
which used to be dealt with by operation a few years ago. The
procedure adopted is not to recommend operation except in those
cases where it is obvious that the throat condition is definitely
injuring the child's health.
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