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9
authorised establishment was full and there was every prospect of the services
of a fourth dental officer during the following year."
It has been felt for a long time that clinic dental services should be
available more freely In the north of the borough where (especially In the
•Avenues') there Is a relatively dense population including a high number
of children of all age groups.
It was hoped that with the completion of the clinic extensions at
Church Road, It might be possible to employ a fourth dental surgeon to
bring to fruition the Education Committee's plan to achieve this desirable
end. It Is apparent that the newly constructed dental surgeries with
their specialist equipment, cannot be utilized for any other purposes
without virtually stripping them out0 Yet the cost of supporting expanding
dental services Is a heavy burden on the local authority and one which
might rest in greater part on the shoulders of the Minister of Education.
However, with the available staff every effort will be made to give
the north of the borough as efficient a dental service as possible.
Immunisation Clinics.
Immunisation clinics for children of all ages are held weekly both at
the Town Hall Annexe and at Church Road Clinic, and Immunisation is also
carried out during Minor Aliment Clinics at North Woolwich and Roman Manor.

Percentage of children of school age completely Immunised 69.8
The compelling need for a high Immunity against diphtheria In our
school population was never more urgent than at the present time.
Many of our classrooms are still overcrowded mainly, It is understood,
owing to the shortage of teachers, and In spite of an all round
Improvement In Individual and school hygiene It Is felt an outbreak of
diphtheria might prove serious in view of the fact that some thirty per
cent of our scholars are unimmunlsed. All our energies will be bent
during the ensuing year to raise the state of Immunity against diphtheria
in our scholars.
Physiotherapy Clinics.
These clinics continue to play a most Important part In the treatment
of numerous medical, surgical and orthopaedic conditions, and undoubtedly
prevent the loss of considerable 'schooling time' for a number of scholars,
not to mention the saving in 'lost working hours' to many parents who
often accompany their children to hospitals for advice or treatment.
An Increasing number of children are referred from the Chest Clinic
for postural drainage and breathing exercises as well as general ultraviolet
light supportive therapy, whilst the general practitioners and
hospitals well know that our school-children receive physiotherapy
applied by highly trained staff with modern equipment without being placed
on a long waiting list.
The physiotherapy clinics are Indeed the backbone of several of the
other school health clinics In both preventive and therapeutic aspects of
the work.