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(e) Skin Disease.—Routine inspections revealed only 5
cases of skin disease, whereas special examinations detected 246
cases of sores and other conditions, 16 of scabies or itch, 18 of
ringworm of the body and 8 of ringworm of the scalp.
(f) External Eye Disease.—Under this heading are grouped
such eye conditions as sore lids, inflamed and ulcerated eyes
and squint. Only 19 children, or less than 1 per cent., suffered
from one or other of these diseases at the time of routine inspection.
On the other hand, 93 such cases were sent to the Eye
Clinic for special examination and treatment during the year.
(g) Vision.—Some 6 per cent. of the children inspected had
defective vision, a rather lower percentage than that obtained
last year. Most of these children were dealt with at the central
Clinic.
(h) Ear Disease and Heating.—Ear discharge was found
in 15 of the children inspected, or 0.7 per cent., but,
including children specially inspected, as many as 62 were treated
for this condition at the Aural Clinic. Twenty-two cases of
defective hearing were reviewed.
(i) Dental Defects.—Some 27 per cent. of the children at
medical inspection showed evidence of dental caries, 3 per cent.
had four or more teeth decayed, while 24 per cent. had from one
to three teeth decayed. The School Dentists examined 3,812
children and found that 68 per cent. required treatment.
Examination of the teeth by a qualified dentist with the aid of
a probe and a dental mirror is much more likely to reveal early
caries than is the type of examination that can be made by a
medical man at routine medical inspection.
(j) Crippling Defects.—Three cases of organic heart disease
and 39 cases of deformity of one sort or other were discovered
during the various inspections. Infantile paralysis accounted for
most of the serious cases of deformity. Much can be done by
early diagnosis and skilled orthopaedic treatment to diminish the
after effects of this crippling disease. It is hoped that some
special remedial treatment for these defects will be undertaken
by the Education Authority in the near future.
(k) Other Conditions.—Enlargement of the neck glands was
observed in 4'9 per cent. of the children. The condition was not