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inspection, while 0.8 per cent, were unclean but not verminous.
The figures for 1925 were 4.7 per cent, and 1.3 per cent, respectively.
Nearly 33,000 inspections of children were made by the
school nurses, and 755 individual children (845 in 1925) were
found to be dirty or verminous. A small but definite improvement
has thus to be recorded. In no case was the degree of
uncleanliness marked, but the number of children affected is
still a matter of concern. Two hundred and twenty-one children
were cleansed at the Cleansing Station, in 42 instances under the
powers given in section 87 of the Education Act, 1921. In
three eases legal proceedings were taken against parents who
allowed their children to become verminous again after com
pulsory cleansing.
(b) Minor Ailments.—The daily treatment of minor ail
ments at the three "Welfare Centres" in the Borough has been
of great assistance. All children requiring frequent dressings or
applications can thus receive attention from the nurses without
having to make the journey to the Central Clinic. In Table IV.
(A) defects treated as minor ailments are set out, and it will
be seen that 1,047 such defects were dealt with during the year.
Special inspections at the two weekly medical sessions numbered
1,433.
(c) Tonsils and Adenoids.—One or other or both of these
conditions existed in 10.6 per cent. of the children inspected,
while 3 per cent. were referred for early operation. One
hundred and thirty-seven children were submitted to operation
at the Clinic, and 27 received similar treatment elsewhere. The
importance of dealing early with tonsillar sepsis is being
emphasised at present as a result of a series of investigations
into the causation of rheumatism in elementary school children.
(d) Tuberculosis.—Routine medical inspection revealed no
cases of definite tuberculosis among the school children: 9 cases
were, however, regarded as suspicious. Altogether 34 children
were referred to the Tuberculosis Officer during the year for
observation and report. It is only fitting here to acknowledge
the valuable assistance always given so readily by Dr. Dobson,
the local Tuberculosis Officer.
A certain number of delicate children coming from homes
where a consumptive was living were sent either to the Ogilvie
Home at Olacton or to the School of Recovery at Parkstone.