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84
INSPECTION OP CHILDREN'S HOMES
An important part of the work of the assistant medical
officers is the visiting of the several children's homes in the
Area. These homes are organised by the County Council for
children in their care. There are six such homes in Tottenham
and Hornsey, five mixed with a total of 23 boys and 26 girls, and
one other home for 18 boys. The homes are staffed by housemothers
with the exception of the home for boys only which has
both a full-time house-mother and house-father. Each child is
registered with a local general medical practitioner just as are
children in their own homes. The assistant medical officers
visit monthly, to supervise the children' s general progress and to
report on conditions generally at the home„
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
Introduction
The work of the school health service follows the pattern
built up in past years. The routine medical inspection or
periodic health overhaul of school children continues to be the
foundation of the Service, During the year some minor but not
unimportant innovations became part of the regular routine of
examination. These were the colour vision testing of pupils in
the intermediate age group, and more important, the vision testing
by means of E-cards of school entrants not yet able to read,
The valuable results of such testing are referred to later in the
ophthalmologist's report.
During the year the Committee was asked to recommend the
setting up of an orthoptic clinic at Lordship Lane, and the
appointment of an orthoptist, as the system of referring children
for such treatment to hospital was proving unsatisfactory and
inconvenient to the parents. Approval was given and at the end
of the year preparations were complete to start the clinic during
January 1956 under the general direction of Mr. Kletz, visiting
ophthalmologist.
In this year's report, too, reference is made to various
other school activities with a bearing on health, in particular
the school meals service.