View report page

247
Medical Inspection in Schools.
The work of medical inspection is spread over all the stall
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. Pickup 7/llths; Dr. Martine
6/11ths; Dr. Jenkin-Lloyd 2/llths; Dr. McMahon 3/llths; Dr.
Morrison 5/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 bv head teachers, attendance officers, school nurses, etc.,
are classified as "specials."
There-arrangements made in the time when the various groups
are examined, mentioned in the 1934 report have been continued,
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
age of 7 years) and any children left over from the Intermediates
group, are examined. By this method it is felt that fewer
children are liable to be overlooked.
The temporary drop in the number of routine medical inspections
of group children noticed in 1934 has now disappeared, and,
addition, the inspections have also increased. The new scheme
would appear, therefore, to be working well. Unfortunately, it is
impossible to re-examine these children as they ought to be reexamined,
namely, each year, owing to the claims of the statutory
groups. To do this would reqire a larger medical staff than is
now available.
Table II. gives a summary of the number of children
examied in the various classes in the different schools, together
with the parental attendance at the examinations. A total of 8,342
children were examined as compared with 6,352 in 1934, and 5,952
parents attended the examinations. The percentage attendance