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(7) ARRANGEMENTS FOR TREATMENT.
Many of the conditions found at school medical inspection are able to be treated
in Barking. Some conditions, however, of necessity require hospital treatment.
(a) Malnutrition.—One-third of the children examined during the year were
found to be of excellent nutrition, and at first sight it would appear that such are in
need of no treatment whatsoever. A curious thing, however, is that oftentimes
when such children as these are grown-up and go abroad to the Colonies, they in
turn have children who are often better nourished than their parents.
Much will have to be done before we can say these children, excellent according
to our standards today, are really excellent in the sense that they have achieved
in health and stature all of which they are capable. What I have said with
reference to treatment in regard to those of excellent physique can, of course, be
said with even greater emphasis of those of normal physique.
With regard to those of indifferent and bad nutrition it is difficult to speak of
treatment. You do give free milk in your schools, you do arrange for free meals by
the thousand, you do arrange for these puny people to be admitted, where necessary,
to your special school and, together with other children, they have the advantage
of your Holiday and Summer Camps. Whenever they come to your notice, and
I think there are very few which do not, each is the subject of a special enquiry,
but all this notwithstanding it is unsatisfactory to find even 3.1 per cent. children
whose nutrition is considered to be below normal.
First, however, I want to dissociate myself from the gloomy pessimists and to
point out the 2,250 of excellent nutrition, as well as speaking of the 192 who were
of poor nutrition, and the 24 whose nutrition was bad. Secondly, I want to say
that we do not know enough about nutrition to be able to speak authoritatively ;
thirdly, to point out that your arrangements in Barking are such that the cases
of poor nutrition which are simple, are generally speaking, adequately dealt with,
so that all the remaining cases are difficult; and fourthly, these latter cases are
cases of really bad nutrition and usually present a very complex problem, in which
social conditions, heredity and disease all play their respective parts.
From what I have heard of emigrants to Canada it would appear they compare
unfavourably in physique with the fine upstanding men who are both born and
reared in the wide open spaces of the great farms of Western Canada.