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237
of routine school medical inspection. A discussion at the Annual
Meeting of the Royal Sanitary Institute, opened by me, clearly
indicated the feeling that routine medical inspections of set
groups of children, three times during their school life, does not
meet the fundamental objects of a School Medical Service. The
present method was undoubtedly the best when introduced, but
the mass of facts so obtained should now be analysed for the
country as a whole and a new, more elastic system of medical
supervision devised. As the School Medical Service is a national
service, the reforms must come from the central authority.
In the Board of Education's Tables for 1933 a new group
of cases was incorporated in Table IV. in respect of the treatment
of Orthopædic and Postural defects, and this has been
included again this year.
One addition was made to the medical staff in 1935, Dr. Rosa
Morrison commencing her duties in July. Dr. Dormer resigned
his post in January, and his place was filled by the appointment
of Dr. W. Martine in March.
The complete Sanitary Survey of the Schools, which was
included in my last report, has been revised. This table shows
interesting differences as between the schools. The survey, however,
embraced all aspects of school hygiene, including lighting,
ventilation, size of class-rooms, etc. For the sake of brevity
much of this has had to be omitted from this report.
Co-ordination with Other Health Services.
Close co-operation exists between the Public Health Department
and the School Medical Service, as all the officers of the
latter service are also engaged for a part of their time in Public
Health work. If the facilities offered by the School Medical
Service, in the way of routine medical and dental examinations,
could be extended to the pre-school child much closer working,
with consequent decrease in the number of defects found in the
Entrant group of school children, would accrue. Very few
children attend Infant Welfare Centres after the age of 3 years,
and, unfortunately, there is no method comparable with that of
'he School Medical Service for parents to obtain treatment for
defects that may arise.