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for rejection were: defective vision 59; unsatisfactory personal hygiene 1;
defective teeth 3; unsatisfactory general health 26; unsatisfactory condition of
heart 9; miscellaneous 26. Some were rejected for more than one defect.
Cases There are also referred to the public health department special cases of
specially referred. employees in the education service absent owing to personal illness ; questions
in regard to students in institutions for higher education whose health is considered
such as to render exceptional attention advisable; cases of teachers returning to
duty after extended leave of absence (a) owing to personal illness; (b) for educational
purposes; (c) to married women under No. E 22 of the Regulations in regard to the
education service; cases of teachers about to be superannuated; applications for
special consideration owing to wounds, etc., of teachers demobilised from H.M.
Forces; and claims received from teachers and others in the permanent service
for exceptional treatment as regards sick-pay and re-imbursement of medical and
other expenses, in respect of illnesses alleged to be due to the conditions under which
they may have been required to carry out their duties. The number of cases dealt
with was 3,154, as compared with 2,934 in 1923, an increase of 220 or 7.5 per cent.
The major part of these cases consisted of teachers, 483 being men, and 1,352 being
women.
The increase is partly attributable to the arrangements made during the latter
part of the previous year, whereby London teachers about to proceed overseas
under the interchange scheme were to be subject to medical examination. 37 were
seen during the year, two of whom were found to be physically unsuitable for the
venture.
Physical All applicants for admission to the Council's course of physical instruction,
education of instituted in 1920 in order to train teachers to carry out the provisions of the
teachers.
Education Act, 1918, relative to the physical education of school children, were
examined. 300 examinations were conducted, and over 16.6 per cent., actually 50
candidates, were found to be unfit to undergo the prescribed course for the reasons
specified, viz., heart 4; general conditions 27; war wounds 1; miscellaneous 18. Some
of the candidates were seen on two or more occasions. In previous reports attention
has been drawn to the effect of age upon the health of the teaching staff. During
the year under review the cases of teachers attending for examination with a view
to taking a course of physical education have been classified in three age groups,
viz., age 20 to 30; age 30 to 40; above 40. In the first group 8 per cent, of the
cases were rejected; in the second and third groups the rejections were 13 per cent,
and 36.5 per cent, respectively.
Accidents The arrangements made in 1922 whereby medical aid and advice could be
and sudden given in the event of cases of accident or sudden illness at the County Hall were
illness at
County Hall. continued in 1923, and aid was rendered and advice given in 214 cases. Generally,
the cases were of a minor character, such as faintness, bruises owing to falls, sprains,
foreign bodies in the eyes and poisoned wounds, although there were a few cases of
haemorrhage, also of serious burns.
Defective Children.
The total number of examinations conducted under the Education Act during
the year was 24,379—an increase of 1,251 on 1922.
Admission 4,944 admission examinations were held as compared with 4,843 in 1922. 1,623
examinations children (892 boys and 731 girls) were deemed suitable to attend elementary schools;
59 (27 boys and 32 girls) schools for the blind, 270 (111 boys and 159 girls) schools
for myopes, 91 (40 boys and 51 girls) Swanley, 922 (452 boys and 470 girls) P.D.
Schools; 1,034 (598 boys and 436 girls) M.D. Schools; 5 (2 boys and 3 girls) open air
schools; 83 (40 boys and 43 girls) schools for the hard of hearing; 97 (33 boys and 64
girls) schools for the deaf; 26 (11 boys and 15 girls) were epileptic; 481 (209 boys and
272 girls) invalided from school attendance; 104 (43 boys and 61 girls) imbeciles,
and 14 (8 boys and 6 girls) were idiots.