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44
is held by the School Dentist on Wednesday afternoons for the
treatment of infants, other children under school age, and nursing
and expectant mothers referred to him from the Maternity and
Child Welfare Clinics.
The personal kindness of the School Dental Surgeon is breaking
down the opposition so often encountered from the mothers
when dental treatment is advised at the Clinics for themselves or
for their children.
Mr. Neame supplies the table showing the work done in
respect of cases referred from this Department during 1926 in his
Dental Report. See p. 96.
Ophthalmic Treatment.
An important advance in the work of this Department was
made when, in course of the past year, the Council arranged for
the observation and treatment by the School Ophthalmic Surgeon
of eye cases referred to him by the Medical Officer of the Infant
Welfare Clinics. For report see pp. 91—92.
It has been a distressing feature of the routine school inspection
of entrants to school life that there are a considerable number
of cases of defective eyesight in this first grouping of children for
purposes of medical observation. It exists throughout the country.
The most distressful circumstance is, that these widely prevailing
defects could be to a large extent prevented. The mothers themselves
have no idea of the importance of danger signals, such as
slight squints, the holding of picture books too near the eyes,
etc. But if the children come under the trained eye of a Health
Visitor in their homes, she at once recognises that a condition of
the eyes exists that will tend to become progressively worse, and
if not attended to at once may, before the age of five years, become
a grave condition, and a permanent one, that will require the
unfortunate child to wear glasses all the time and for life. She
will advise the mother to bring the child to the Infant Welfare
Clinic to be examined by the Medical Officer, and, where necessary,
passed on to the Ophthalmic Surgeon. In the Ophthalmic
Clinic the probably still slight ailment is prevented by the Ophthalmic
Surgeon's treatment from becoming the more serious condition
already indicated.