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Question:—My child is quite healthy. As a matter of fact I have got
two, a boy and a girl, and they are both healthy. They have both been
examined medically very thoroughly recently for quite another matter,
which convinces me more than ever they are quite healthy, so what is the
use of School Medical Inspection to me ?
Answer:—To you, personally, the only value of a school medical inspection
is to make quite sure everything is all right, and there can be no harm in another
examination.
It is, however, very important you should have your children examined and
the doctor's assessment placed on record, because the primary object of these
examinations is to discover what favourable or unfavourable effects the system of
education may have upon the physical health and well being of children as a whole.
From this standpoint it is highly desirable that the children who are fit should
be classified and recorded, otherwise the Committee and the Ministry would not
be in a position to assess the physical progress of children attending school.
I can assure you these figures make most interesting reading to students, who of
course make comparisons between certain age groups and so forth, now and
years ago.
Supposing we take one illustration. No less than 8,970 children were examined
during the year 1947. It was found that of these 2,974 were first-class nutrition,
5,971 normal and 25 slightly sub-normal. Incidentally I may mention that the
heights and weights are all recorded and we believe positively that children
generally are inches taller and pounds heavier than they were a generation ago.
What is more, Committees and Officers are able to compare the physical
development of one area of the country with another.
Herein I may mention I have reason to believe that Barking does not suffer
by any such comparison.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR TREATMENT.
Question:—What arrangements are made for treatment of children
other than Specialist Consultant Clinics ?
Answer:—There are three Health Centres in the Borough—Central Health
Centre, Vicarage Drive, Ripple Road, Barking; Porters Avenue Health Centre,
Porters Avenue, Dagenham; and Woodward Health Centre, Woodward Road,
Dagenham. At each of these Health Centres a Minor Ailment Clinic is conducted
each morning (Sunday excepted) where a Medical Officer is always in attendance.