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is slightly better than that of the twelve-year-old children, and therefore better than
that of any other age group amongst school children.
Visual acuity also is slightly superior, both in boys and girls, to that of the
tweleve-year-old group, owing no doubt to the provision of spectacles as the result of
the detection of their visual defect at the tweleve-year period.
Generally, also, defects requiring medical attention are fewer than at any other
period in school life. 2.7 per cent, of boys aged fourteen and 3.5 per cent, of girls
required operation for tonsils and adenoids, compared with 6.6 per cent, at all other
ages, and 3.1 per cent, of boys and 4.1 per cent, of girls at age twelve. They present
less otorrhœa, less external eye disease, less anaemia and less lung defect than any
other age group, and less defect of hearing and heart defects than the twelve-year
age group.
The one and only condition which showed an adverse balance in the case of the
leavers as compared with the others was spinal curvature amongst the girls, which
was found in 1.3 per cent, of the fourteen-year-old girls, as against 1.1 per cent, of
the twelve-year-old girls. Altogether, therefore, the fourteen-year-old group emerges
from the scrutiny as the healthiest by far of all the age groups, and testifies to the
great benefits which have followed the installation of medical inspection and children's
care in school.
While the routine inspections comprise all children, whether well or ailing,
children specially examined are those who are brought before the doctor as obviously
suffering. The children suffering from such condition as scabies, ringworm of the
scalp, impetigo, corneal ulcer, tuberculosis, epilepsy and chorea found amongst special
cases greatly out-number in each case those found suffering from the same diseases
in all the routine age groups combined.
Considerable numbers of children, too, with defective vision, hardness of hearing,
anaemia, and nasal obstruction, whose condition has attracted the attention of the
teachers, are thus brought specially to the school doctor's notice at these inspections,
which are of the utmost value, and indeed essential to the well-being of the schools.
All pupils at secondary schools are examined in detail at the ages of twelve and
fifteen, while the health of each pupil at other ages is reviewed and the pupil medically
examined if this is considered advisable. 4,608 boys and 4,684 girls in secondary
and trade schools were examined in detail and 182 male and 953 female students
in training colleges were also medically inspected.
Of pupils who had been found defective 2,163 were re-inspected, including 803
pupils with defective vision, 130 with nose and throat defects, 60 with eye or ear
disease, 759 with defective teeth and 603 with other ailments.
Only one pupil (a boy) was found with pediculi, although 42 male and 69 female
pupils were found to have nits.
Of boys in secondary schools 16.5 per cent, and of girls 18.7 per cent, are wearing
glasses, but in the training colleges over 25 per cent, of students are found to wear
spectacles.
Of boys in secondary schools 1.9 per cent, have serious dental decay, although
another 24.5 per cent, have less serious dental caries. Amongst girls 2.3 per cent,
have serious dental caries, and in addition 21.6 per cent, have some dental decay.
Amongst students in training colleges serious dental decay was found in 5 male
but only 2 female students, being 2.7 per cent, and 0.2 per cent., respectively, of.
the number examined. In both male and female students another 10 per cent,
were found to have slighter degrees of dental caries.
Flat foot was reported in 2.4 per cent, of secondary school boys and ill 15.4 per
cent, of girls, while spinal defects were found in 1.4 per cent, of boys but 18.9 per cent,
of girls.
The high proportion of minor deformities returned in secondary school girls
is to be explained on the ground that the slighter, as well as the more serious deviations
15435 e
Visual acuity.
Other defects.
Special
inspections.
Medical
inspection of
pupils at
secondary
schools.