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105
Heart disease, rheumatism and chorea were the cause of absence in 681 children
(including 253 boys and 428 girls), nearly 31 per cent. of the total. How far this
increase is due to increased incidence and how far to greater attention being paid
to rheumatic children it is not possible to say, but the preponderance of rheumatic
infection in producing chronic invalidity in childhood becomes more and more
marked each year. On the other hand, striking improvement continues to be shown
in the number of chronic sufferers from skin disease, ringworm, external eye disease
and ear disease.
The following table gives an analysis of the causes of chronic invalidity over
the last four years. Largely owing to the intensive work in following-up and
treating ringworm of the scalp, this disease, from being a great and serious trouble
during school life, has fallen to insignificant proportions.
Ailments. Percentage of total.
1025. 1926. 1927. 1928. 1925. 1926. 1927. 1928.
Rheumatism, heart and chorea 614 537 508 681 24.71 23.98 25.32 30.95
Nervous disorder 268 249 207 199 10.78 11.12 10.32 9.05
Tuberculosis (pulmonary and other) 322 268 234 216 12.96 11.97 11.66 9.82
Anæmia and debility 196 169 135 141 7.89 7.55 6.73 6.40
Ringworm 81 27 27 17 3.26 1.21 1.35 .77
Skin complaints (excluding ringworm) 72 62 63 56 2.90 2.77 3.14 2.55
Eye 103 92 76 62 4.14 4.11 3.79 2.82
Infectious diseases 92 103 100 106 3.70 4.60 4.98 4.82
Other defects 737 732 656 722 29.66 32.69 32.71 32.82
2,485 2,239 2,006 2,200 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Three
months out
of school
cases,
November,
1925-1928.
Age. Boys. Percentage. Girls. Percentage. Total. Percentage.
5 104 10.3 94 8.7 198 9.5
6 150 14.9 151 14.0 301 14.4
7 140 13.9 124 11.5 264 12.7
8 136 13.5 120 11.1 256 12.3
9 93 9.2 85 7.9 178 8.5
10 75 7.5 77 7.1 152 7.3
11 75 7.5 89 8.3 164 7.9
12 92 9.1 125 11.6 217 10.4
13 91 9.1 145 13.4 236 11.3
14 31 3.1 38 3.5 69 3.3
15 18 1.8 24 2.2 42 2.0
16 1 .1 8 .7 9 .4
1,006 100.0 1,080 100.0 2,086 100.0
Age
distribution
of chronic
invalids.
Medical Treatment.
At the end of the year 1928, there were 17 hospitals and 68 centres, included
in the Council's medical treatment scheme, in addition to the dental centre at Bushy
Camp School. The provision made for the several ailments and the numbers treated
during the year were as follows :—
Ailment. Provision made Number Number
in 1928. treated 1928. treated 1927.
Defective vision 39,320 40,984 40,293
Ear, nose and throat disease 16,400 20,162 18,176
Ringworm 890 516 644
Minor ailments 72,765 97,918 99,766
Dental defects 131,670 129,255 124,992
261,045 288,835 283,871