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Report of the County Medical Officer—Education. 223
(2) Open Air Classes.—Every opportunity should be taken to carry on classes in the open
air during afternoon sessions in hot weather.
(3) Bathing.—Every advantage should be taken of existing facilities for bathing. The
Council has recently had under consideration a report by the Medical Research Officer upon
the question of provision of school baths.
(4) Provision of Sun Blinds.—Of late years the tendency has been to plan schools so that
every classroom gets direct sunlight; this is an admirable principle which should never be violated,
but the corollary is the provision of sun blinds for those classrooms which have a south and
south-west aspect.
(5) Instruction in Hygiene.—Much can be done to improve matters by instruction given in
school on the points of clothing, cleanliness, food and sleep, and the correction of hygienic faults
and habits through the school organisation. These points will be borne in mind when revising
the pamphlet on the Health of School Children, but it is probable that hygienic instruction in
the school is of more value than the distribution of leaflets.
(6) Alteration of School Hours.—The utilisation for school work of the relatively cool
hour from 8 to 9 in the morning during summer months would enable an extra hour during the
afternoon to be spent out of doors and from this point of view at least the proposals contained
in the Daylight Saving Bill appear to be worthy of support.
(7) Provision of Drinking Water.—The excessive evaporation from the body during hot
weather causes suffering if adequate supplies of drinking water are not available. The number
of points at which water can be obtained require, under these conditions, to be in excess of
that normally sufficient. Provision for the extra supply of drinking water might take the
form of jets from which the children may drink directly thus avoiding drinking cups, to which
objections are frequently raised."
During the year the condition of 123 school buildings was inspected by the school doctors and
reports were made as to defects in lighting, ventilation, heating, desking, and sanitary provision
generally. Special attention was paid to the question of the sufficiency of supply of drinking water in
playgrounds, and some instances were reported in which the number of points was less than that usually
adopted by the Council, viz., 1 point to every 100 boys and 1 to every 135 girls and infants. The above
123 schools were distributed throughout the school doctor's areas ; it has been pointed out that it would
be more convenient if attention were concentrated upon the areas in which reconstructions and minor
alterations under the 40 and 48 scheme were about to be undertaken and this will in future be
arranged.
The routine
inspection of
school
buildings.