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79
forming in each eye. In both cases glasses could have been
prescribed with some improvement in vision, without, of
course, treating the cause, the delay in doing which would
have been disastrous.
A very complete supervision is exercised over all
children treated with spectacles at the school clinic. All
such are examined before they are approved for use. In
addition the School Nurse, at her quarterly visit to the
schools, ensures that the children are wearing their glasses
and that these are fitting correctly. Finally all children are
re-examined by the Doctor at a date which is mentioned to
the parents at their first attendance, is registered at the
clinic, and in due course an appointment made. In some
cases monthly attendances may be required.
Nutrition.—85% of the children had average nutrition
and 5.76% below normal. Cases of deficient nutrition may be
associated with (1) under-feeding, unhealthy home conditions
or child-labour; (2) constitutional diseases, especially
rickets from improper feeding, and also tuberculosis. The
small degree to which these two causes obtain in Ilford are
readily seen from the tables. The child with poor nutrition
in Ilford is of the kind popularly called "delicate," who is
rather under-weight, has some degree of anaemia, and
readily suffers from nervous ailments. The cause may be
suggested as partly due to the mental and sedentary occupations
of the parents and partly to the low infantile mortality,
since weakly children survive who in an industrial
district would succumb in early life.
Dental Condition.—Only 33% of the children had
sound teeth. The excellent work which has already been
done by the School Dentist will be found on pp.84 to 91. It
is hoped that the remedial treatment which he is performing
at the age when the permanent teeth begin to erupt will
produce a marked change for the better in the defects found
in the children of 12 years in the course of a few years.