View report page

55
waves of flea and of scarlet fever prevalence which has for five or six years past been noted as being in
course of development. In 1920, the flea curve did not, however, rise so markedly as did that of scarlet
fever. Moreover, the rise in scarlet fever was especially abrupt in London as compared with the
country generally. The bearing of these facts upon the flea-scarlet-fever hypothesis is considered
on p. 86.
On p. 88 there will be found some notes with regard to the influence of the main holiday
period of the year upon the prevalence of scarlet fever and diphtheria, in London, Paris and
New York.
In all 6,301 examinations were conducted with a view to admission to special schools. Of these
3,323 (1,733 boys and 1,590 girls) were certified as suitable for admission, and the remainder were
either returned to elementary schools or found to be unsuitable for any of the Council's institutions.
The results of the periodical examinations in the schools for the mentally and physically defective are
shown on p. 94, and special reports are submitted dealing with causes of blindness and deafness,
mental deficiency and mental tests of deaf children.
The results of medical inspection.
Routine inspections were carried out of all children in the three age-groups prescribed by the
Board of Education, viz., entrants, children aged eight and children aged twelve. The numbers
comprised 41,975 entrant boys, 40,667 entrant girls, 29,477 eight-year old boys, 29,282 eight-year
old girls, 33,728 twelve-year old boys and 33,795 twelve-year old girls, making 208,924 children
examined in public elementary schools at the prescribed ages. At these ages also a physical examination
was made of 1,923 children in the special schools. In addition all children whose fourteenth
birthday occurred on or after the appointed day, on which children leaving elementary schools became
liable to attend compulsory day schools, were examined : these comprised 6,956 boys and 6,416
girls. Over and above the 224,219 children thus examined in age groups there were seen by the
school doctors 83,516 children specially examined, owing to some indication of ill-health noticed by
teachers, school nurses or members of care committees, at the instance of attendance officers on account
of absence from school, as to fitness for special courses of study such as attendance at Central schools,
or for other reasons. The total number of children inspected during 1920, exclusive of scholarship
children, was therefore 307,735, compared with 265,230 in 1920, and 255,631 in 1918. These figures
denote a considerable extension of the medical work in the schools, an extension due largely to the
examination of children nominated for attendance at Central schools, and to the leaving children examined
as entrants to continuation day schools. In addition 144,876 children were re-examined who had
previously been found ailing, and 13,765 of these were twice re-examined.
The proportion of children at routine inspections during the year found to require treatment
for defects shows a marked decline. Including the fourteen-year old group the number referred for
treatment was 87,632, being 39.4 per cent. of those examined. Of the three official age-groups 82,740
children were referred for treatment, or 39.6 per cent. as compared with 42.6 per cent. in 1919, and
44 per cent. in 1918. This continued improvement in health is a matter for congratulation.
The general state of the children's clothing, nutrition and cleanliness has been proved to afford
a valuable index to the care bestowed upon the children and has reflected the great improvement in
this respect which has taken place in recent years. It is in these figures that we may expect first to
find any indications of a set-back in health and well-being in childhood due to alterations in economic
conditions.
Special
schools
Number of
children
inspected
Number of
ailing
children
General
conditions

* The figures for infants for 1917 are for the third term only, when inspection of entrants in detail
was resumed after its discontinuance in 1916.