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20
1 have drawn attention in detail in another report (the
report of the School Medical Officer) to the considerable
number of children who do not come under medical supervision
until they are of school age. Taking- 2,000 as the
number of children under school age who exist ait any given
time in the district, it is found that, after making allowance
for those who attend the clinics, for those who are outside
the scope of maternity and child welfare, and for those who
enrol at school at the ages of three and four, a large number
of children, probably about one-half of the children under
school age, do not attend the centres, and are therefore
without medical inspection until they commence attending
the public Elementary Schools.
That this is unsatisfactory goes without saying. It is
probably not less satisfactory than it is in other districts.
It's most unsatisfactory feature is the fact that often the
children who most require medical examination are not
afforded it by their being withheld from the centres.
I have suggested in the Report on School Medical
Inspection that an effort to improve the clinic attendance
could best be made by supplementation of the Health Visitors'
work by voluntary effort.
It is convenient at this part of the report to record the
work done in Health Visiting and other visitation of kindred
nature by the two Health Visitors in 1923.