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10 Sanitary Circumstances of the District.
VERMINOUS AND OTHER CONTAGIOUS AFFECTIONS.
It is generally agreed that during the War, home life has been
altered and children neglected as far as cleanliness is concerned. The
mothers are often out all day, and the children get out of hand in
more ways than one.
The bulk of the subjects of these dirty conditions, including itch,
scab and ringworm, are children of school age, and are treated by the
School Authorities; it is also to some extent a Public Health question,
in view of recent research work. The School nurses follow out the
routine laid down by the Surrey Education Committee, but cannot be
expected to do the actual cleansing where the mother fails. Itch,
scab, and ringworm, are largely treated at the School Clinic. Itch is
treated specially (when the case will go) at the Council's Disinfecting
Station with good results. The Surrey Education Committee have
now recognised the necessity for a Cleansing Station for verminous
children, so that Section 122 of the Children's Act will shortly be
applicable in this respect. If the station were used, dirty heads and
bodies could be cleansed there after a trial had been given at the
child's home by his parents. Overcrowding, infected bedding, dirty
hair brushes, etc., are the chief causes of failure at home.
The County Council are responsible for the work of Medical
Inspection of the children attending the public elementary schools
within the district, and the statistics regarding this work are reported
to the School Medical Officer for Surrey for inclusion in his Annual
Report.
SCHOOL CLINICS.
The County Scheme for the dental treatment of school children,
by which local deotists were employed on rota began distinctly well,
and will, I hope, continue and be extended to mothers, and to children
under 5 years. The need for a more commodious School Clinic is
apparent, as both the Day Nursery and the Clinic work have grown
too- large folr mutual accommodation.
MENTALLY DEFECTIVE.
A pressing problem is the care of the mentally defective child and
the proper enforcement of the Mental Deficiency Bill of 1913. The
idiot, the imbecile, the mentally deficient, and the moral imbecileall
need protection and care; and the sane public need protection