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Committee, how these defects are remedied, provided the treatment
secured is efficient, but it does concern the Committee that less
than 50% of the cases receive any treatment at all.
With the existing facilities only 49.8% of those requiring
treatment have secured it, of this number 82 2% have had recourse
to the Voluntary Hospitals. The Hospitals most taken advantage
of are the West London Hospital, Sick Children's Hospital, Richmond
Hospital and the Hounslow Hospital. There is every reason
to believe that more children would go to these hospitals for
treatment if hospital letters could be obtained, but I do not think the
machinery at these institutions, already taxed to its utmost capacity,
would be adequate to deal with the problem, which is that 25% of
the school population require some treatment. Another factor which
must be borne in mind, and which is of especial importance in this
district, where a very large proportion of mothers are engaged in
earning money outside their own homes, is the expense involved in
losing a day's work and paying travelling expenses to attend the
hospital and in many cases carrying out the treatment at home.
The Poor.law is not of much service in this respect, as it is well nigh
impossible to persuade parents to take advantage of its machinery,
because although there is no disqualification to the recipients of
medical relief, yet there is a feeling that the stigma of pauperism
remains.
It is a matter for congratulation that the Committee have
now decided to provide treatment for Ringworm cases and for
Eye cases. I think, however, that further treatment is required
for minor ailments and for dental conditions. With regard to the
latter, I am informed that defective teeth was the commonest
cause of the rejection of recruits for the Army in this district.
Open.air Schools.
The provision which the Committee are in a position to make
is as follows :—
1. Establishing a scheme of play.ground classes.
2. Establishing an open.air school with a special class
for Tuberculous children.