View report page

13
Adequate facilities at either of these hospitals do not exist
for the overnight detention of all children after operation.
Home visits by the school nurses to children operated upon
are paid on the patient's return home, while in certain cases children
are brought home by ambulance after operation. A distinct advantage
would result were this arrangement made a general one. The
percentage of the above affection found among entrants was 17.5.
(i) Tuberculosis.—The total number of cases of tuberculosis
in school children notified to the Medical Officer of Health during
the year was 50. During the year 27 cjses were referred to the
Tuberculosis Officer, of whom 5 were subsequently notified as
tuberculous. The total number of attendances by children of
school age at the Dispensary amounted to 259, while during the
year 11 children were recommended through the Essex County
Council for hospital or sanatorium treatment. Quiescent cases
of the disease were as in previous years admitted to the Open-air
School, Faircross, and numbered 55.
(j) Dental Defects.—The findings at Medical Inspection
mostly relate to oral sepsis, i.e., gum boils and inflamed gums
due to decayed teeth. These are matters of some urgency leading
to digestive and other troubles due to absorption of purulent
matter. The amount of dental trouble amongst entrants
amounted to 42.87 per cent. This matter is further dealt with in
the dental surgeon's report on pages 32 and 33.
(k) Crippling Defects.—Marked deformities of such a degree
as to cripple a child are becoming less numerous, as these conditions
are being dealt with under the orthopaedic scheme now in existence
in the pre-school age. Such defects as come to notice are found in
Table II of the Appendix and consist of various degrees of flat foot,
knock knee and spinal curvature. Cripple children are educated at
the cripple class of the Special School, Faircross.
(6) INFECTIOUS DISEASE
As the School Medical Officers are also the Public Health
Medical Officers, the occurrence of infectious disease is. known
to them at once and steps taken accordingly.