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144
Co-operation
with the
tuberculosis
service.
In order to reduce congestion at the tuberculosis dispensaries and to maintain
supervision over children attending school who are contacts with cases of tuberculosis
in their homes a system of mutual exchange of information is adopted between the
tuberculosis officers and the school medical service.
The school children notified by the tuberculosis officers fall into three groups—
(1) unsatisfactory cases whether contacts or not, (2) satisfactory contacts, (3) contacts
refusing examination.
Children in class (1) are weighed monthly by the school nurse and then at
intervals by the school doctor; those in class (2) are weighed termly by the school
nurse; those in class (3) are seen as soon as possible by the school doctor and referred
to classes (1) or (2) for further observation. Conferences are held between the
divisional medical officers and the tuberculosis officers at which cases are discussed
and discharged when possible.
A short account of the work done in supervising tuberculous contacts amongst
school children in each division follows:—
Eastern Division.—Dr. Chaikin points out that the bulk of the children dealt
with are contacts whose own health has not come under question (viz., class (2)),
and that about 14 per cent. of children from tuberculous homes refuse examination
at the tuberculosis dispensaries; it is in these cases that the school medical service
is of special help in following up.
In this division 726 children were notified by the tuberculosis officers during
the year of whom 168 were unsatisfactory contacts, 463 satisfactory and 95 were
contacts refusing examination at the dispensaries.
South Western Division.—Dr. Argles reports that 699 cases were dealt with,
made up of 212 in class (1) and 487 in class (2). The periodical inspections necessitated
856 special examinations by the school doctors during the year. Not many
cases were referred back to the tuberculosis dispensaries but a large number were
nominated for attendance at day open-air schools.
South Eastern Division.—Dr. Kidner reports the current cases on 31st December,
1925, to be 1,471, discharged during the year 252, referred back to tuberculosis
dispensary 8, examinations by school doctors 1,212.
North Eastern Division.—Dr. Lewis points out that the periodic examination of
tuberculosis contacts has undoubted advantages, as the children are brought to
notice more frequently, and this enables them to be recommended for camp schools,
for which so many are eminently suitable. The total number of cases under observation
in this division was 889; ten were referred back to the tuberculosis officer for
further treatment and 88 were referred to him on leaving school before discharge:
598 were discharged from observation after conference with the tuberculosis officer
and 203 remained in the scheme.
North Western Division.—Dr. Sikes reports that 1,450 children have been kept
under observation by the school doctors.
Admission
examinations.
Defective children.
The total number of examinations conducted under the Education Act during
the year was 26,054—an increase of 890 on 1924.
5,289 admission examinations were held as compared with 5,418 in 1924. 1,997
children (1,053 boys and 944 girls) were deemed suitable to attend elementary schools,
70 (34 boys and 36 girls) schools for the blind, 237 (92 boys and 145 girls) schools for
myopes, 127 (53 boys and 74 girls) Swanley, 1,106 (528 boys and 578 girls) physically
defective schools, 917 (511 boys and 506 girls) mentally defective school,s
21 (16 boys and 5 girls) open-air schools, 87 (37 boys and 50 girls) schools for
the hard-of-hearing, 103 (58 boys and 45 girls) schools for the deaf; 51
(27 boys and 24 girls) were epileptic, 474 (247 boys and 227 girls) invalided from