View report page

64
of the children are transferred to a card index in the Public Health Department each month and the
lists are returned to the Divisional Superintendents, who remove from them any children who have
returned to school and add the children who fall into the category of absent for three months in the
interval before the lists are again sent in.

In the month of November each year, an analysis is made of the cases and this analysis is given
in the following table for the years 1919 and 1920. It will be observed that the percentage of children
suffering from rheumatism, heart disease and chorea in November, 1920, forms a larger proportion of
the whole than in November, 1919, having increased from 14.43 per cent. to 21.12 per cent., but the
proportion of children suffering from skin complaints (mainly scabies) has been reduced from 5.63
per cent. to 3.83 per cent. As regards the increase in rheumatism, etc., it is noteworthy that such
increase seems to occur, as a rule, coincidently with increase in scarlet fever and diphtheria.
The total number of children reported as absent for long periods in November, 1920, is less than
in November, 1919.

The greatest amount of absence is at the ages 6 and 7 years. Between the ages 9 and 11 the
percentage remains steady but rises during the years 12 to 13. This rise is entirely due to the
excessive number or girls absent at the ages 12 and 13, for while the attendance of boys improves at these
ages the number of girls upon the lists at ages 12 and 13 is very high, forming at age 12 years 11'8 per
cent, of all girls absent and at age 13, 14" 1 per cent., whereas the boys at age 12 form only 9'3 per
per cent, and those at age 13, 8'4 per cent, of the tota boys listed. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion
that the help the older girls are able to give in domestic work in the homes is a factor in prolonging
absence in many cases. The consequence is that the number of girls absent exceeds the number of
boys by about 40 per cent. The small numbers of children at ages 14 and 15 refer to children who are
still on the roll of special schools.
All the cases reported are industriously followed up. An assistant medical officer every month
considers each case with the particulars afforded. Further information is obtained from the divisional
officers or district organisers where advisable; and in a large number of cases an endeavour is made
to have the children brought up to a special medical examination. As a result many children are
found fit either for ordinary or special school. Every case of tuberculosis is referred to the tuberculosis
department and is followed up locally; these cases form over 20 per cent. of the whole number. Special
reports from the school nurses are required in ringworm cases (4.5 per cent. of the whole), and chronic
skin conditions (4 per cent. of the whole). A number of the children with chronic eye complaints
(6.27 per cent.) are brought up to the weekly examination by the Council's ophthalmologist and of
these some are found fit lor blind institutions or myope schools. All epileptic children are notified to
the special schools section and are seen with a view to deciding upon admission to a colony.