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Sufficiency
of clothing
and footgear.
There is little indication of change during the year in regard to insufficiency of clothing or otherwise.
The percentage of children insufficiently clad was 2.5 compared with 2.2 in 1918. Infants continue to
be better cared for in this respect than older children and girls are always better clad than boys.
Conditions
as regards
nutrition.
During the war the condition of the children as regards nutrition progressively improved until in
1918, as compared with the pre.war years, there were less than half the number of children in an ill.
nourished condition. In 1919, however, there is a perceptible deterioration of the nutritional state,
especially of the younger children entering school. It is to be feared that this must be attributed to the
special rise in price of the foods which infants most need, and notably in the cost of milk. Taking the
children as a whole, 5.5 per cent. were under.nourished in 1918, and 61 per cent. in 1919. But the
entrant infants, amongst whom the boys had 4.7 per cent. and the girls only 4.4 per cent. ill.nourished in
1918, showed 61 per cent. of boys ill.nourished and 5 7 per cent. girls in 1919. The general all.round
improvement over a long period of years in the condition of the children, which has been demonstrated
in the statistical returns, is borne out by the reports of those school doctors who have rejoined the staff
after an extended period of service in the army. To them the improved state of the children, especially
in regard to cleanliness and nutrition, is especially striking.
During the last two years the Children's Care Sub.Committee has paid great attention to the
question of infestation of school children by parasites, chief amongst which is the head louse. A forward
policy was adopted in view of the continuance of the large number of girls in the public elementary schools
who were reported to have traces of parasitic infection of the hair. The measures instituted and progressively
strengthened to meet this evil are described elsewhere in the report (p. 25). The result of
these efforts has been a striking improvement. In 1916 and 1917 the percentage of girls with heads
quite free from signs of parasitic infection at the eight.year old period was 68.8; in 1918 this percentage
was raised to 71.3; and in 1919 to 74.2. Similarly the percentage of twelve.year old girls free from all
signs of nits and vermin, which in 1916 and 1917 was 70.5; was raised to 72.8 in 1918 and to 74 in 1919.
Verminous conditions of the body are fortunately much less prevalent, but striking improvement is also
recorded in this respect during the last two years. Although the cases in which live vermin are found
are now less than 2 per cent., representing a great advance upon the conditions that once prevailed, the
serious fact remains that still 25 per cent. of older girls when inspected by the doctor in school present
some traces of recent infestation of the hair by lice. It is clear the time has not yet come when the
strenuous campaign against these dirt conditions can be in any way relaxed.
Cleanliness
and verminous
infestation.
During the last two years the Children's Care Sub.Committee has paid great attention to the
question of infestation of school children by parasites, chief amongst which is the head louse. A forward
policy was adopted in view of the continuance of the large number of girls in the public elementary schools
who were reported to have traces of parasitic infection of the hair. The measures instituted and progressively
strengthened to meet this evil are described elsewhere in the report (p. 25). The result of
these efforts has been a striking improvement. In 1916 and 1917 the percentage of girls with heads
quite free from signs of parasitic infection at the eight.year old period was 68.8; in 1918 this percentage
was raised to 71.3; and in 1919 to 74.2. Similarly the percentage of twelve.year old girls free from all
signs of nits and vermin, which in 1916 and 1917 was 70.5; was raised to 72.8 in 1918 and to 74 in 1919.
Verminous conditions of the body are fortunately much less prevalent, but striking improvement is also
recorded in this respect during the last two years. Although the cases in which live vermin are found
are now less than 2 per cent., representing a great advance upon the conditions that once prevailed, the
serious fact remains that still 25 per cent. of older girls when inspected by the doctor in school present
some traces of recent infestation of the hair by lice. It is clear the time has not yet come when the
strenuous campaign against these dirt conditions can be in any way relaxed.
Conditions
of the teeth.
Facilities for the treatment of dental caries have continuously been increased and the efforts
made to deal with the very large amount of disease which exists are making themselves felt. In 1918
44.7 per cent. of the children were found by the school doctors to have no apparent caries of the teeth,
while 55.3 per cent. had bad teeth of varying degree. In 1919, 49.5 per cent. were found with good teeth,
while 515 per cent. were found to have some defect. This appears to be a notable improvement. The
condition of the teeth is classified in the tables in three categories: 1, sound; 2, less than four decayed;
3, four or more decayed. The progressive improvement that has been achieved may be seen in the
following tabular statement, which gives the percentage in group 3 over a series of years:—
1913. 1914. 1915. 1916. 1917. 1918. 1919.
Boys 10 9.2 7.2 6.5 6.2 7.3 5.2
Girls 8.6 7.7 6.7 5.8 5.5 6.9 4.4
The need for more comprehensive and energetic measures for attending to the health of children
before they enter school is shown by the fact that 16.4 per cent. of entrants are placed in category 3; in
other words, before they come to school 16 4 per cent. of infants already have four or more milk teeth
deca.yed
Adenoids
and tonsils
11,817 children or 6.1 per cent. of all the children examined were referred for operation for enlarged
tonsils and adenoid growths, corresponding closely with the 6.2 per cent. so referred in 1918. There
is a steady decrease throughout school life of children requiring treatment for these conditio as. 7.2
per cent. of entrant infants already require this operation, while the percentages are 6.5 of the eight.