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138
Also in consequence of the increase of work of the department,
the Committee appointed an additional Health Visitor. The total
number of Health Visitors on the staff at the end of the year was
therefore seven.
In connection with the medical inspection of school children,
Dr. Sandison, the Medical Officer to the Tuberculosis Dispensary,
examines all children suspected by the School Medical Officer of
suffering from tuberculosis in any of its forms. If definite signs of
this disease are found, arrangements are made for the children
affected to attend for treatment at the Tuberculosis Dispensary and
thereafter, until they are able again to resume their school life, they
remain under the supervision of the Medical Officer to the Dispensary.
As in former years, the work of arranging for the holding of
medical inspections at the various schools in the Borough has been
very efficiently undertaken by the Chief Clerk of the Public Health
Department. In addition, the whole time of one clerk and the
part time of another, and also of one of the Inspectors, have been
devoted to duties in connection with the medical work in the
schools.
The work of the Health Visitors is set out in detail on page
165.
I have pleasure in putting on record the fact that the relationship
between the general education staff and the school medical
staff continues to be of the most harmonious description. The
work of the medical inspections is carried out without hitch, and
largely owing to the hearty co-operation of the teachers and school
attendance officers, with a high degree of efficiency.
The assistance rendered by the Attendance Officers is invaluable,
and it has appeared to me desirable to give the following
account of these services, viz.:—
Measles, Mumps, Whooping-Cough, and Chicken Pox.
The Attendance Officer visits families to investigate causes of
absence from school, and where illness is suspected to be of an infectious
nature the procedure is as follows, viz. : —
(a) When a medical man is in attendance and a diagnosis has been
made of measles, mumps, whooping-cough, or chicken pox, the Attendance
Officer is instructed to exclude verbally the child and contacts
without waiting for further confirmation by this Department. This
saves at least a day in the exclusion of the child or of contacts when
the latter is necessary, and greatly facilitates the work of the Department
in the prevention of infection. It also facilitates school attendance
when contacts may be allowed to go back to school. This exclusion is
officially confirmed by me later on Form B.