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tests on account of their age. In addition, 38 children with
slighter degrees of defective vision were found at school. These
cases did not require treatment but required to be kept under
observation. In the absence of medical inspection a large number
of children would undoubtedly be handicapped in their
school life by uncorrected defective vision, and their education
would suffer very considerably.
Of the children examined as special cases at the Health
Centre there were 47 with defective vision and 8 with squint requiring
treatment, and 9 with defective vision requiring to be
kept under observation. The cases which are kept under observation
and not referred for immediate treatment are those with
minor defects of vision. They are inspected periodically and
referred if necessary at a later date for examination by the
Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Refraction Clinic.
It is a pity that the print of many of the children's popular
papers is not of a larger and clearer type. Children read these
papers extensively, and often in a poor light. Only too frequently
they are allowed to read in bed especially when convalescing
from illnesses. These factors are liable to produce
myopia or short sight.
(h) Defective Hearing. At the routine inspection 13 children
were found to be suffering from defective hearing, 14 from
otitis media, and one from other ear disease, all requiring
treatment. There was also one child with otitis media requiring
to be kept under observation.
In other words 1.5% of the children examined in the
schools were found to be suffering from defective hearing or
from discharging ears. Furthermore 11 children with defective
hearing, 49 with otitis media, and 27 with other ear diseases, all
requiring treatment, were examined as special cases at the
Health Centre. Deafness and running ears are still of too frequent
occurrence amongst school children. A discharging ear
is a source of considerable discomfort and unpleasantness to a
child. The impairment of hearing which is nearly always
associated with it gives rise to a considerable handicap in school
life. The chronic discharging ear is also a source of danger
owing to complications of the mastoid region which are liable
to arise. Infectious diseases such as measles and scarlet fever
are common causes of discharging ears. Nearly all the cases of
scarlet fever, however, that occur in the Borough are treated in
the Infectious Diseases Hospital, and it is quite uncommon for
a child to be discharged with a running ear or with impaired
hearing. Infections such as measles, scarlet fever, influenza
and the common cold, occurring in a child with enlarged tonsils
and adenoids are the chief causes of ear trouble. Dental sepsis
is also an important contributory factor. Removal of enlarged
tonsils and adenoids and attention to oral and nasal hygiene are
the principal measures for preventing ear diseases. Greater
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