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20
The effect on the growth is most marked apart from deformities. Where a family has been examined,
the younger members being rickety, and the older apparently having escaped, the effect on
height is very marked, the older ones approaching the average for their age, whilst the younger fall
much short of this.
"Normal' children in tame school
classes.
Rickety, but without any serious
rickety deformity.
Age.
No. in
group.
Average
age.
Average
height in
centimetres
No. in
group.
Average
age.
Average
height in
centimetren
3-4 21 3-7.6 93.1 31 3-6.9 90.7
4-5 42 4-5 99.7 48 4-4.2 95.0
5-6 66 5-6.4 106.1 39 5-5.3 101.7
6-7 125 6-5.2 109.8 70 6-5.5 106.3
254 188
The rickety infant is exceedingly likely to die before school age from bronchitis, laryngeal spasm,
or in convulsions, if it contracts measles or whooping cough. Apart from a fatal event convulsions
sometimes results in permanent damage. There is the mental and physical retardation also to be
considered, to see that this serious nutritional disorder which is associated with improper feeding and
debilitated mothers, is a serious factor in any deterioration of the public health. The most obvious
remedy is education. The general want of appreciation of the hygienic needs of childhood is shown in
many schools. The following extract form a school report by Mr. Bishop Harman completely expresses
such conditions as found. "The children are of a respectable class. They are well fed and clothed,
out are altogether a flabby and pappy lot. Almost all have palpable glands in the neck. The Head
Teacher returned over 100 as defective; this seemed absurd until the children were examined, then the
oft repeated note of 'delicate' is justified. The children are too respectable to play in the street.
They have no near park or fields; their back gardens or house rooms are small, so they do not compare
favourably, (save in cleanliness) with children in poorer quarters who play freely in the open air. The
teaching of hygiene is needed in the district."
PHYSICAL DEFECT AS A CAUSE OF BACKWARDNESS.
Apart from those children classified on account of marked physical defects there are a number who
are retarded in school on account of their physical condition. Dr. Hogarth in analysing the 600
cases of backwardness in Hoxton schools, discussed on page 44 found that physical defects or
ill-health were directly responsible for 95 cases or 16 per cent. in 55 cases in spite of regular school
attendance, and in 40 cases owing to prolonged absences and irregular attendance on account of illhealth.
The same conditions acted as contributory causes in 91 cases, but only in 25 of these were
the factors of considerable significance. Therefore, at the highest estimate, 120 cases or 20 per cent.
of backwardness were chiefly due to physical defects, and 63 cases or 11 per cent. had physical defects
as contributory causes. The defects noted were:—
Backwardness from Physical Defects in 600
backward children.
300 Boys.
300 Girls.
600 Total.
(i) Chief cause—
General physical defects 9 7 16
Defects of special senses 11 21 32
General defect + defect of special senses 2 i 5 7
Absence (from ill-health or infectious disease) 15 25 40
Physical defects + absence 5 20 25
(ii) Above conditions as a contributory cause 35 31 66
Totals 77 109 186