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considered in conjunction with proposals which have been considered
by the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee for a Maternity
Hostel and Childrens' Hospital.
Open-Air School.
Another aid to treatment is the open-air school, which can be
utilised to great advantage in the early stages of disease, for habitually
delicate children in whom no disease can be detected and for those
convalescing after illness.
Through the kindness of Dr. E. E. Norton, Tuberculosis Medical
Officer, Middlesex County Council, I have had submitted the names
of 164 cases, of ages varying from 2 to 18 years, that came under his
observation in the period 1913-1919. Of this number 120 were of
school age. For many of the latter an opsn-air school was indicated
as such would be tolerated, and perhaps with great benefit to the
child, when attendance at an ordinary school would be inadmissible.
It is justly said that every school should be an open-air school, but
few can claim any such pretensions, and, indeed, the mere position
of many precludes them from competing in such a class.
There is little doubt that the school population of this district
would derive great benefit by the prpvision of schools of open-air type
with accommodation for, say, 50-60 pupils. In default, certain of
the newer and more favourably placed schools, such as the Heath
School or Alexandra Road School, might provide one or more openair
class rooms.
Your School Medical Off icer dealt very fully with this subject in
his Annual Report for 1911 and again in 1914. The matter is
undoubtedly one of great importance, and is entitled to the earnest
consideration of the members of the Committee.
TREATMENT AT SCHOOL CLINICS.
Defective Vision.
14 sessions have been held at the Alexandra School Clinic by
Dr. A. E. A. Looseley, the Ophthalmologist. Glasses were prescribed
in 79 cases (65 cases discovered at routine inspection, and 14
specially referred), and in seven other cases glasses were found not
to be required, or to be useless on account of other defects.