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(c) The early ascertainment of crippling defects is effected
through routine medical inspection at the schools; through
the examination of children at a special clinic for the
physically defective; through information received from health
visitors, school attendance officers and local voluntary associations;
through child welfare centres; through the tuberculosis
dispensary; and lastly through the Orthopedic Clinic established
in July, 1925, at the Croydon General Hospital, by the co-operation
of the Hospital Board with the Corporation.
FINDINGS OF MEDICAL INSPECTION.
Details of the defects found during medical inspection are set
out in Table 11a and 11b, at the end of this report.
Out of the 8,397 children examined as routine cases, 1,554, or
18.5 per cent., required treatment for conditions other than uncleanliness
and dental diseases.
(a) Uncleanliness.
The routine cleanliness surveys made by the health visitors
are the best guide to the condition attained in the various schools.
The health visitors during the course of their school surveys for
uncleanliness made 59,164 inspections of children, and found head
vermin in 445, and nits alone in 3,444. Thus, on the basis of
these inspections, 6.5 per cent. of the children seen showed
evidence of infestation, as against 8.0 per cent. in 1925, and 9.5
per cent. in 1924.
(b) Malnutrition.
73 children were found during routine inspection to need
treatment for malnutrition, and 160 were referred for observation.
Thus, out of the 8,397 children examined as routine cases, approximately
2.8 per cent. showed evidence of malnutrition.
(c) Defective Vision and External Eye Disease.
536 children, or 6.4 per cent. of those seen during routine
inspection, were found to show defective eyesight requiring treatment.
In addition, 35 children, seen as routine cases, were found to
be suffering from squint, and 29 (0.3 per cent.) had external eye
disease requiring treatment.
(d) Ear Disease.
27 children, or 0.3 per cent. of those examined during routine
inspection, had markedly defective hearing, and 21 (0.2 per cent.)
showed evidence of a notable degree of ear disease.
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