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94
the child in an atmosphere undisturbed emotionally by any illness of the
child. Ample time is most desirable and it may be true to say that the
value of a routine medical inspection is in inverse proportion to the number
of children seen at the session.
Discussion with parents and talks given to Parent-Teacher Associations
suggest that most parents are very satisfied with the physical health of their
children, but they are frequently worried by behaviour problems. The
proportion of a doctor's time needed to deal with these problems is increasing
and a knowledge of child psychology is of great value to the school
doctor.
Routine medical inspections carried out in this Area confirm that the
children are healthy. From time to time attempts are made to assess children's
health in statistical form. Statistics relating to child health can be
divided into two types, figures based on factual diagnosis and figures based
on the opinion of the examining medical officer. The factual group of
statistics include figures relating to visual defects, squint, enlarged
adenoids and measurement of intelligence Such statistics may be usefully
recorded and compared from place to place in differing periods of time.
Statistics that are based on the opinion of the examining doctor should be
accepted with reserve when recorded numerically unless a serious attempt has
been made to standardise the opinions of the examining doctors. Such
statistics include figures relating to enlargement of tonsils, flat feet,
general condition or deviations in behaviour Statistics gained from this
latter source will show variations attributable more to the differing standards
of the doctors concerned than to any fundamental difference in the children
examined.
Hospital Child Health Departments
Once again I wish to pay tribute to the co-operation received by the
School Health Service from the Children's Department at the Prince of Wales's
General Hospital, Tottenham, under Dr I an Anderson, M. D., M.R.C.P.,
Consultant Paediatrician, and for the opportunity of having the services of
Dr. J. Nuttall-Home, M D M.R.C.P., Paediatric Registrar, in Tottenham,
participating in the work of the local authority's clinics. We are also
grateful for the opportunity given to a member of the area medical staff to
attend as a clinical assistant in the children's department of the hospital
for one session a week.
In Hornsey close co operation has been made with the Child Health Department
in Whittington Hospital under Dr. S. Yudkin, M.B., M.R.C.P.; D.C.H., 'the
Consultant Paediatrician. Hiring the year members of the area medical staff
have accepted the opportunity to attend weekend post-graduate sessions in Dr.
Yudkin's department, primarily arranged for general medical practitioners in
the district.