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8
The treatment of various conditions will now be described
under the same headings and in the same order as those in the
previous section of this Report.
Malnutrition.—This is an unsatisfactory term for a condition
of "sub-health," which may be due to a variety of circumstances.
The word does not necessarily imply that the child is not having
enough to eat; indeed, few, if any, of our cases of malnutrition
are suffering from lack of food. The condition of "sub-health"
of being "below par," of being "run down in health," often
follows upon a previous illness or upon some chronic ailment.
An early attack of measles or whooping-cough or any
other serious disease may cause a child to be for many years
in a state of malnutrition; enlarged ahd septic tonsils, bad teeth
and even the ravages of vermin may induce this state of subhealth.
Parental neglect, irregular and badly cooked meals,
late hours and over-fatigue are all responsible for the illnourished
child.
Successfully to prevent "sub-health" is a matter of great
difficulty. The cases due to the apathy of the parents are
especially difficult, since but rarely can the slovenly mother
and the casual father be accused of or punished for actual
neglect. These cases due to improper feeding and to irregular
meals are generally benefited by being given milk or cod liver
oil. In such instances the parents pay as much as is possible
towards the cost of this treatment. It is wonderful to observe
how often a child improves rapidly under a course of milk or
of cod liver oil, both of which contain a "growth-accessory" food
vitamin. After a few weeks of milk, a child, previously dull
and apathetic, will begin to take an interest in its school work:
it seems to wake up physically and mentally.
The malnutrition due to previous illness is much more
difficult to cure. Many children after a severe attack of some
disease are sent back to school without any previous convalescent
holiday. It is for such cases as these that a residential open-air
school would be of inestimable benefit. Again, in cases of chronic
but slight disease such as early tuberculosis or rickets ah openair
school would give to the child just that chance of recovery
which its parents had not been able to afford. The results of
such a residential open-air school would be seen, not only at the