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It is interesting to record that, although 48 cleansing Orders were issued, only
17 children were compulsory cleansed at the Treatment Centre. Experience shows that
the force of the cleansing Notice has the effect in many cases of making the parents
realise their responsibilities so that, even although it was necessary to issue a
cleansing Order, by the time it is in the parents hands many of the children have been
satisfactorily cleansed. Comparative statistics cannot be expected to give a wholly
reliable assessment of the results of these new methods after three years' working,
but the results for 1955 can be said to be heartening. During the three years under
review the percentage of cleanliness has dropped from 4.6 in 1953 to 2.59 in the
present year. Although 135 more inspections were carried out in 1955 than in the
previous year, there were 113 fewer instances of infestation. There was also a reduction
of 47 cleansing Notices and 22 cleansing Orders issued during the year compared with the
previous year. There have been many indications of the salutary effect of the cleanliness
campaign upon the parents, and fathers in particular have realised, often for the first
time, the condition into which their children have been allowed to fall and have taken
active steps to remedy the situation. The main burden of the attack on this social evil
is borne by the School Nursing Service. The real propaganda work the school nurses and
health visitors have done in educating the children and their parents in the need for
cleanliness deserves recognition. It is a thankless task, but any relaxation of vigilance
would gradually give rise to the former bad state of affairs.
FOLLOWING UP. This continues to be a most important function of the School Health
Service, and is carried out by the school nurses and health visitors. This work is
essential if the full value is to be obtained from the medical inspections and the cases
referred for observation or treatment. Many children would become tired of carrying out
the medical officers recommendations and parents fail to co-operate without the friendly
encouragement and advice of the school nurse. The School Health Service frequently
requires the nurse to visit the children's homes to obtain reports of various kinds and
this is welcomed as an excellent opportunity of getting to know really intimately the
families for whose welfare they are responsible. Valuable social work is carried out by
the nurses by giving help and guidance in a variety of ways to families needing it.
Reports on home conditions of a variety of cases - chiefly asthma and rheumatism
required by hospital specialists, are often prepared by the school nurses following home
visits.
During the year the school nurses paid 5,134 home visits in this way. This number
includes 1,300 visits in connection with the Medical Research Council's controlled B.C.G.
trial with school leavers mentioned on page 132.
RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATION
A joint committee of the Institute of Child Health (University of London), the
Society of Medical Officers of Health and the Population Investigation Committee at
the London School of Economics has been following the health, growth and development of
6,000 children born in the first week of March 1946, who are drawn from all social
classes and from all parts of England and Wales. The first part of the survey is over
and a pamphlet entitled "The Health and Growth of the Under-Fives" was published by the
joint committee for the information of school nurses, health visitors and others who
helped In the field work.
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