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Report of the County Medical Officer—Education.
87
The heights and weights of all children are recorded at the time of their medical inspection, and
in individual cases, and invariably in cases of malnutrition; these have been compared with subsequent
measurements. With the exception of records in the open-air classes and certain investigations into
malnutrition, no special averages of heights or weights, however, have been calculated from the
records taken during 1914.
Children are classified as to the condition of the clothing, state of nutrition, cleanliness of head
and body and condition of teeth. The classification is made into 3 groups "good," "average," "bad,"
except in the case of nutrition when the grouping is "good," "normal," "below normal and "bad"
(i.e., malnutrition). The percentages in each of these groups of the children examined in each borough
are shown in the tables in the appendix. The average of nutrition, etc., varies from district to district
and even from school to school, and added to this the personal equation of the examining doctor as to
what is "normal" is also a varying factor. Conclusions based on these classifications must therefore
be used with very great hesitation in making comparisons between district and district.

(3) Clothing and
footgear.
It is seen that the averages are very consistent. The entrants are distinctly better looked after
than the other children, and the girls as a whole are slightly neater and better clad than the boys. The
most gratifying feature of the table, however, is the steady improvement during the 3 years in the
conditions as regard cleanliness, neatness and sufficiency of clothing.
The very great benefits accruing from medical inspection and its concomitants, the work done
for the children by the school nurses and care committees, could not be better illustrated than by this
steady, gradual improvement in the appearance of the children which is evident to those working in the
schools but is not- alwavs suscentible of numerical renresentation.

Cleanliness
of head.
Cleanliness
of body.
It is to be noted that entrants are cleaner than the other groups, but that girls have much more
frequently dirty heads than have boys. Thus, while 86 9 per cent of the 8-year old group and 88-5
per cent, of the leavers among bovs are returned as clean, only 60-3 per cent, of the 8-year olds and 68 8
per cent, of the leavers amongst girls are clean. On the other hand, in regard to cleanliness of the body,
although entrants are again cleaner than the other groups, the girls are,if anything, cleaner than the boys.
The explanation of these figures of course, is that the wearing of long hair by the girls puts them
in a very much worse position than the boys, in warding off the attacks of vermin. Unfortunately
the figures of 1912 are not. available for strict comparison, owing to the fact that the assessment of
the condition of head and body was not separately made during that year. The figures given in the
above tables, however, show that there is a slight, but quite definite improvement over the previous
year and there can be no doubt that this is part of a general steady improvement which has been going
on in the schools for some years, owing largely to the work of the school nurses.