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245
Medical Inspection, in Schools.
The work of medical inspection is spread over all the staff
of Assistant Medical Officers, excepting those acting as Resident
Medical Officers in Institutions, or as specialist officers.
The Deputy Medical Officer, Dr. Watson, devoted 6/llths of
his time to school medical duties; Dr. McMahon 3/llths; Dr.
Jenkin-Lloyd 2/llths; Dr. Dormer 8/lliths; Dr. Pickup 8/llths.
The groups examined have been entrants, usually aged 5-7
years; intermediates 8 years; and leavers 12-14 years. These are
the three statutory groups. Examinations of children outside
these groups are classified as "others." Children brought
forward by head teachers, attendance officers, school nurses, etc.,
are classified as "specials."
Rearrangements have been made in the time when the
various groups are examined, and the Leaver age group has been
raised to those children whose thirteenth birthday occurs in the
year of examination. This group is examined now in the first
quarter of the year. During the second and third quarters the
Intermediate group (children 8-9 years of age) are examined,
together with any of the Leaver group not examined earlier in
the year. During the last quarter the Entrants group (i.e., all
children admitted during the year who have not been examined
since admission and who have not reached the age of 7 years) and
any children left over from the Intermediates group, are
examined.
This alteration has caused a temporary drop in the number
of routine medical inspections of group children, but has thereby
enabled an increased number of re-inspections of sub-normal
children to be done. Unfortunately, it is impossible to re-examine
these children as they ought to be re-examined, namely, each year,
owing to the claims of the statutory group. This would require
a larger medical staff than is now available.
Table II. gives a summary of the number of children
examined in the various classes in the different schools, together
with the parental attendance at the examinations. A total of 6,352
children were examined as compared with 8,936 in 1933, and 4,466
Parents attended the examinations. The percentage attendance of