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The commonest defects found at routine inspection were
decayed teeth, sub-normal nutrition, enlarged tonsils and
adenoids, uncleanliness, defective vision, enlarged cervical
glands and bronchitis. The children referred for special examination
suffered mainly from minor skin diseases, enlarged tonsils
and adenoids, anæmia, defective hearing or other conditions
associated with the ear, eye defects and bronchitis.
(a) Uncleanliness.—Verminous conditions were present in
the heads of 4.7 per cent. of the children examined. Another
1.8 per cent, of children were dirty. The School Nurses made
nearly 32,000 inspections of children during the year, and found
845 children suffering from uncleanliness. The degree of uncleanliness
was usually slight, but, inasmuch as a little care on the
part of the parents will readily prevent these conditions, such a
figure must be regarded as unsatisfactory. Some excuse
may be found for carelessness in the case of families living in
very overcrowded rooms without adequate washing facilities,
but in many of the cases not even this excuse could be offered.
One hundred and fifty-one children were cleansed at the
Cleansing Station, in 15 cases under the powers given in section
87 of the Education Act, 1921. In all these cases the clothing
was disinfected and attempts were made to deal with any adverse
conditions found present in the homes. It is possible in this
connexion that the new powers given in the Public Health Act,
1925, will prove useful during the coming year.
(b) Minor Ailments.—Few cases of minor ailments were
discovered at routine inspection. Such conditions are usually
detected either by the Teachers or by the School Nurses and are
dealt with promptly at the Minor Ailment Clinic or by private
practitioners.
(c) Tonsils and Adenoids.—One or other or both of these
conditions existed in 8 per cent. of the children inspected.
Only 1.7 per cent. were, however, referred for immediateoperation.
(d) Tuberculosis-—Only one case of definite tuberculosis of
the lungs and another of glandular tuberculosis were detected
at routine inspection. Seventeen cases of suspected tuberculosis,
or 0.23 per cent. of the children on the rolls of the schools, were
referred for treatment or observation. These included cases
discovered as a result 'of special examinations.