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standard in the case of girls. Head teachers are at liberty to nominate any other candidates qualified
by age whom they consider as likely to attain the scholarship standard. The Medical Officer
(Education) is required to certify that the scholar is in a fit state physically to take advantage of
the scholarship.

The medical examination practically gives the defects of the brightest children of the age
group about eleven years old. As they must in any case remain in school until fourteen years of
age, the rejections are very few. Most useful work is, however, done by making it a condition that all
defects that are remediable shall be treated before the children are allowed to take up their scholarships.
The Council thus possesses a powerful lever for the amelioration of physical defect, which, however,
is applicable to the brightest children only, and 161 boys out of the 724, or 22 per cent., and 457 of the
1,145 girls, or 40 per cent., were induced to have the necessary attention to removable conditions
which impaired their efficiency; advice as to mode of life, incipient disease and other conditions was
given to many more. In the 724 boys, want of cleanliness was only noted in 11, six being referred
back on this account; teeth required urgent treatment in 78, over 10 per cent.; spectacles were
required in 56 cases and 48 others were already wearing glasses, making a total of 14 per cent. having
visual defect serious enough to require optical aid. Mouth breathing, enlarged tonsils and other
defects of the throat were noted in 39, of whom 27 were referred back for treatment; 14 had subnormal
hearing, nearly 2 per cent. Other conditions noted were anæmia 19, heart disease in 7, deformity
of chest or spine 12 (8 being rickety), bronchitis 4, chronic skin disease 4, defective articulation 2,
enlarged glands 3, alopecia 2, ringworm 1, congenital malformations 4. Three rejections were due
to progressive myopia, defective virion due to opacities not aided by spectacles, and active phthisis.
In the 1,145 girls, want of cleanliness, chiefly in the hair, was noted in 221 or 20 per cent., and 196
referred back on this account. Teeth required special attention in 179 or 16 per cent., and decay of
teeth was often noted as co-existing with uncleanliness in other directions; spectacles were required
by 85, and were already being worn by 70 more, making 14 per cent. with serious defect of vision;
the proportion being identical with that among the boys. Unhealthy conditions of the throat were
noted in 160, or 14 per cent., and treatment required in 56 cases. Hearing was distinctly defective
in 34, or 3 per cent., 131 were recorded as anæmic, or 11.4 per cent., a much greater proportion than
amongst the boys ; this and unhealthy throat conditions being alike probably due to the greater confinement
to the house in the case of girls. Other conditions noted were heart disease 14, spinal curvatures
64, over 5 per cent., enlarged cervical glands 16, chorea 1, chronic skin disease 1, ringworm 3,
scabies 1, defective articulation 13.
Amongst the referred cases, the following serve as types:—
I. R., aged 11.4—Anæmic, adenoid facies, bearing much impaired, bone conduction better
than ærial, both membrana tympani perforated; slight lateral curvature of the spine; unfit
for teacher but fit for scholarship.
M. P., aged 11.9—Head verminous, teeth dirty, systolic murmur at heart apex. Mother
warned about heart. Not intended for teacher.
I. V., aged 11.7—Systolic murmur at apex of heart; often suffers from pains in limbs.
Fit for scholarship, but unfit for teacher.
L. M., aged 11.8—Narrow chest, mouth breather, hearing defective, adenoids. Report
in a month. Treated at hospital and now fit.
The nine rejections were candidates with the following conditions—Tubercle (lungs 1, glands 4);
chronic bronchitis with heart disease 1, deafness 2, defective speech 1.