View report page

– 6 –
ditions. These inspections, though rapid and superficial, are of
the greatest value, since they usually result in securing treatment
for the condition before it becomes chronic and difficult to
be cured. Children respond very well to early treatment; but if
this is withheld they soon show signs of general ill-health, and
the cure is then rendered more difficult. These "class-to-class"
inspections are also of definite educative value to the children,
to their parents and to the teachers. A Summary of the work
of the School Nurses will be found in Table 10.
The Routine Examination of children has been carried out as
usual during the year, and does not call for special comment. Three
age-groups of children were examined, the Entrants aged 5–6,
the Intermediates aged 8—9 and the Leavers aged 12–13. The
number of children examined in each school will be seen on reference
in Table 8. The defects that were discovered at the Routine
Inspection are shown in Table 2.
Very little practical benefit results from inspection unless
the cases of defects are "followed up" and treatment is provided
for the ailing child. Merely to collect a mass of statistics may
be interesting, but it does not improve the health of the children,
which, after all, is the object of all our work. Treatment is now
provided at the School Clinic for defective children; but the process
of "following up" forms an all-important connecting link
between the Routine Inspection and the School Clinic. Certain
parents entirely disregard printed instructions, and treat with
indifference such invitations as are sent to them asking them to
bring their children for treatment to the Clinic or to their own
Doctor; and it is in persuading such stubborn parents of their
responsibilities that energetic "following up" is of so much
value.
Apart from the children seen in the routine examination and
in the class-to-class inspection, various "special" children have
been examined by the school medical officer throughout the year.
These "specials" are children whom the teachers or the school
attendance officers consider to be in need of medical advice, and
they include cases of malnutrition, mental defect and other
crippling conditions.