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107
HEALTH OF THE PRE-SCHOOL CHILD.
This subject has exercised the attention of all administrators during 1936.
Towards the close of the year I submitted a report to the Council on this subject,
and it is reprinted here verbatim.
Report of the Medical Officer of Health on arrangements
for the supervision of pre-school children in shoreditch.
[Submitted, to the Council, \bth December, 1936.)
Public Health Offices,
8-14, Laburnum Street, E.2.
28th October, 1936.
I.—On the 29th May, 1936, the Ministry of Health issued Circular 1550, which
deals with the existing arrangements for the care and supervision of the health of
children aged 18 months to five years, and suggests various means whereby these
arrangements may be improved. The circular states that the Council of each
Local Authority should review its existing arrangements and inform the Ministry
of the results of their consideration of the suggestions made in the circular.
Before summarising the contents of the circular, I desire to draw attention to the
fact that it applies to England and Wales as a whole and not only to London.
The circular states that the Minister has had under consideration the arrangements
made by Local Authorities generally for the supervision of the health of children
not in attendance at school. He is convinced that in general the arrangements are
satisfactory in so far as they apply to children up to 18 months or two years, but he
is concerned to find that in many areas insufficient attention is being given to the
health of young children between 18 months and five years of age and he understands
that more than 16 per cent of the children entering school are found to require
treatment for some disease or defect which would have been prevented or cured if
there had been adequate supervision during the pre-school years.
The Minister mentions that even if the policy of the Government with regard
to the provision of nursery schools and the admission of children under five years of
age to elementary schools has been followed, there will still be a considerable number
of children under five years who will remain at home, and in the interests of their
health it is essential that in all areas there should be systematic periodical health
visiting of those young children who are not in attendance at school. The Minister
states that it should be the duty of the health visitor to see these children at regular
intervals, to make enquiries as to their state of health and to be on the look-out for