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I have procured the voluntary services of two Voluntary Masseurs, both
fully trained in actinotherapy to help with the Ultra Violet Department. The
gift of a Mercury Vapour Lamp has also been a great boon. Some 15-20
children have U.V.R. twice weekly throughout the year.
Clinical Report.—I find the general physique of the nursery children
compares most favourably mentally and physically with their less fortunate
companions who play outside in the streets. This is particularly noticeable
with regular attendants.
The babies (under 1 year) thrive very well—although of necessity
artificial feeding has to be employed. Feeding difficulties are seldom
encountered.
With children from 2-5 years a further pleasing point of comparison is
the quite definite decrease in minor ailments and defects, particularly Dental
Caries, Enlarged Tonsils and Skin Lesions and sores. This is very striking
and is due I feel simply to open air nursery life, due regard being paid to
regular sleeping hours and sleeping posture.
Infectious Disease has been purely incidental, apart from a mild outbreak
of Scarlet Fever in the Autumn when three probationers and two
children were notified. There have been odd cases of Whooping Cough,
Pneumonia, Bronchitis, Diphtheria-aural, and Chicken Pox.
As elsewhere there has been a slight recurrence of rickets—but this was
only noted in new cases.
Less robust children have been sent to specially selected convalescent
homes for periods ranging from three weeks to five months. This scheme
was substituted for the former plan of sending the children " en masse "
for a holiday fortnight in the Summer. Selection was made according to
health and domestic circumstances. Again, by way of comparison, I find
the child who returns to the open-air nursery maintains the benefit of the
change much better than the little one who goes back to the street. Outside
the nursery—often with welfare children it is very distressing to note how the
children begin to lose weight on their return home. In the nursery a course
of artificial sunlight is given in an attempt to supplement the holiday and
really make the change less abrupt. A great deal can be done for preventive
medicine by developing this idea of preventive convalescence
and studying the effects of abrupt change to home surroundings.
I he welfare ward, the convalescent home and the open-air nursery might be
very happily linked towards this end and achieve much in preventing minor
maladies of children.
A recent record of all new children reveals the fact that almost no child
admitted to the Nursery has ever had a holiday. This means that the early
years of childhood have in most cases been entirely spent in Hoxton.
In conclusion I must emphasize the general well being of the open-air
nursery child. However much one would wish to see nurture entirely carried
out in the home—I think meantime this is not practically probable and only
a very poor second best course from the child's standpoint.