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Personal hygiene
Health surveys—From 1 January, 1959 the hygiene inspection of each child once a term
was replaced by an annual comprehensive health survey of each pupil, plus such additional
health surveys as may be thought necessary or desirable in selected individual schools or
departments. Details of the findings at these surveys follow:
Total No. of pupils
No. of No. with Other found to be verminous
No. examined verminous nits only verminous % of No.
heads cases No. examined
Annual comprehensive health surveys
Boys 125,520 369 292 — 661 0.53
Girls 139,114 1,294 1,317 — 2,611 1.88
Infants 95,081 584 642 — 1,226 1.29
Total 359,715 2,247 2,251 — 4,498 1.25
Additional health surveys
Boys 148,236 624 446 — 1,070 0.72
Girls 174,906 1,952 1,871 2 3,825 2.19
Infants 150,152 1,076 1,017 — 2,093 1.39
Total 473,294 3,652 3,334 2 6,988 1.48
To assess the comparative level of infestation amongst school children, only the findings
for comprehensive health surveys (each child seen once a year) can be compared with the
former hygiene inspections (each child seen once a term). As will be seen in the following
table, the percentage found to be verminous at comprehensive surveys in 1959 is very much
the same as that found at hygiene inspections in recent years.
Percentage found to be verminous
Comprehensive
Hygiene inspections health surveys
1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Boys 0.67 0.61 0.55 0.55 0.53
Girls 2.13 1.79 1.80 1.84 1.88
Infants 1.20 1.30 1.2 1.33 1.29
All pupils 1.35 1.26 1.25 1.27 1.25
Review of the cleansing scheme—There has been no general review of the Council's
scheme for the inspection of personal hygiene and cleansing of school pupils for many
years. A scheme was approved by the Education Committee in 1909, under which the
cleansing procedure has continued with slight modifications. The current arrangements
were approved in 1946.
When a child is found on inspection to be verminous (in the context of the cleansing
scheme the word ' verminous ' has a special meaning, in that it includes children with only
one ' nit i.e., ovum, as well as children with live vermin present) the parent is sent an
advice card, drawing attention to the condition, and giving advice on the steps which
should be taken to remedy it. In more serious cases, or if on re-inspection the condition is
again found, a second advice card is issued, giving similar advice and offering an appointment
at a bathing centre. Only if this advice is not taken does the scheme provide for the
exercise of the statutory procedure of formal notice, and, if necessary compulsory cleansing.
Over the years there has been a radical improvement in the condition of school pupils as
regards general well being and in particular cleanliness; one of the principal factors which
has contributed to this improvement has been the effect of the cleansing scheme in raising
the parental consciousness of the need for keeping children clean.
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