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109
virtue of any of the school conditions. Most minor postural defects appear to be an
expression of the individual type of growth at the early adolescent age.
(2) Arising out of the first conclusion the conditions under which the boys work
in the schools are thought to be generally advantageous to their well being.
(3) The nutrition of individual boys requires careful watching at this age, and
more attention should be paid to this, particularly to the nature of the mid-day meal.
Some form of care organisation (which should not exclude the physical instructor)
is necessary to survey the home and environmental conditions and to eliminate or
rectify so far as possible such adverse conditions as are found to exist.
(4) Physical training is of the utmost importance, increased opportunity should
if possible be afforded for this, and the rule of one afternoon a week in the playing
fields all the year round should be followed.
Myopic
classes in
secondary
and central
schools.
Dr. E.
McVail.
The difficulties of dealing with clever myopic children with due regard to the
safety of their eyesight on the one hand and to their future prospects on the other,
are by no means inconsiderable. The cases shew considerable variations both in
the degree and progress of the myopia. It is clear that for their future prospects a
sound education is essential; at the same time there has been abundant evidence
that close study exerts an adverse influence on the visual conditions. The experiments
tried in certain secondary and central schools have been continued during the
year and have been reported upon by Dr. Mc.Vail. The aim of the experiments has
been to allow the myopic children to participate with others in all lessons that can
be regarded as of an oral character, but to allow them to use chalk on a blackboard or
on specially pinned-up papers for writing. Those with more serious defects, are
read to by a teacher or by a normal-sighted child during the hours of preparation;
others are allowed to read specially selected books with good print for strictly limited
periods. These books are supplemented by specially prepared extracts in very large
typescript. The difficulty is, that but few text books, such as are ordinarily used
for preparation for public examinations, are really satisfactory for this purpose.
Instruction in science, handwork, drawing and physical exercises is specially modified
to meet the needs of the shortsighted, and homework and sewing are prohibited. It
has taken some time to secure the necessary co-operation, for clearly it is useless to
take precautions during school hours if no corresponding care is given out of school
and, if the children, once they return home, are allowed to read or do exactly as they
like. These difficulties have now in a very large measure been overcome. To avoid
writing, a special point has been made of teaching the "touch" method of typing
under conditions in which the writing is not visible to the operator. This enables
essay writing and similar exercises to be carried out and the pupil hands in the script
without reading it. The pupils eventually become sufficiently expert to be able to
answer many examination questions in this way, without being materially handicapped.
Experience showed that, by special methods, pupils could be trained
sufficiently to enter for public examinations provided the ordinary examination
conditions could be slightly modified. The head-mistress of the Peckham secondary
school approached the registrar of the Examination Board of the University of
London on the matter and his interest being aroused, he inspected certain of
the myope classes, finally suggesting that there should be no insuperable difficulty.
Points stressed, in the application to the University for modified conditions of
examination of myopes, were periods of rest for the eyes, large typing or writing as
in the myope classes both for question papers and for answers, a separate room for
myopes who type, large scale copies of geographical maps, and the use of chalk or
brush in drawing.
Under such conditions, three girls from the Clapton secondary school entered
for a recent general school examination—writing large script and being allowed
five minutes rest at the end of each hour—an extra ten minutes being allowed for the
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