View report page

Very many more children are, however, seen than are thus reported to the head office.
Where any doubt about alterations or the sanitary condition had arisen in connection with
the transfer of Non.Provided schools, complete sanitary reports were furnished, and during
the early part of this year very much time had to be given to this work. Apart from such survey work
complaints have come in and reports been furnished in the ordinary course. These complaints
are much less numerous than in previous years, but they do not indicate that many conditions
requiring relief and previously reported on are not still in existence.
Lighting. Ventila Heating. Sanitation. Furniture,
tion.
Non.provided schools
Good 25 11 14 12 15
Fair 18 15 10 12 12
Bad 41 30 13 9 42
Good 90 72 75 08 71
Fair 10 10 14 7 5
Bad 50 25 10 5 12
EXAMINATION OP INFANTS.
The Medical Inspection of infants is likely soon to assume great importance. It is at thetse ages
that slight defects or diseases have such a profoundly modifying influence on the future, and it is of
especial importance to have children examined at the ages of three to five years, to detect the
beginnings of diseases, such, for example, as tubercular bone and joint diseases, which if not caught
early result often in producing permanent injury or crippling. In a previous report the importance
in other respects of attendance of quite young children in town schools has been insisted upon
to the reasons there given might be added medical superintendence of the young child's growth.
With the staff at disposal detailed examination is almost impossible, but some attempt has been
made by sampling to ascertain what medical inspection of infants really means and what it is likely to
lead to.
Dr. Niall took fourteen schools, varying from slum areas of Vauxhall and North Lambeth, through
artisan areas of Lambeth and Kennington to the vastly different districts of Brixton and Norwood.
The effect of environment is at once apparent in that the survivors of the slum children at the age of
five are as a rule sturdier and quicker than the more carefully nurtured children, who have not been
exposed to hard climatic conditions, and who on the other hand appear to present larger numbers with
anaemia, nasal obstruction, glandular troubles, and of dull and backward children. Information as far
as the teachers could furnish it, was taken regarding the district, parents, amount of female labour,
and so on. Children were then examined as presented by the teachers and finally inspected for various
defects—physique, anaemia, mouth breathing as they sat in their desks. Any presenting obvious defects
were brought out; they were never stripped. This method will give results which are considerably
understated. Of 5,340 children in attendance 14.9 per cent., nearly 1 in every 7, was selected as requiring
detailed examination.
Two neighbouring schools, Walnut Tree.walk (9.3 per cent.) and Lollard.street, presented the
lowest and highest number defective. The school with the highest proportion (26'7 per cent.) defective
was Lollard.street, a poor district abounding in fried.fish shops. Many of the mothers are wage.
earners, returning home late at night, too tired to take any interest in the welfare of the child. Semi.
starvation and home neglect are important factors in producing the unhealthy conditions found.
The high percentage here, too, was due in great measure to the number below the average mental ability
in Grade IIBb. This is a dullard's class, and contained 47 per cent. of children with some defect. It
is for such a class more particularly that early medical inspection will do much as early discovery of
defects permit of their correction and in many cases prevents irreparable damage being done; cases
of corneal ulceration, marginal blepharitis, early cases of ophthalmia and otitis being detected, and
Council Schools