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FINDINGS AT ROUTINE MEDICAL INSPECTIONS.
Uncleanliness.
For uncleanliness surveys the health visitors made 464 visits
to schools, a decrease of one. At the primary inspections they
found vermin in 149 and nits alone in 1,905 children. On these
inspections, 3.5 per cent. of the children showed evidence of
infestation as against 3.0 in 1937 and 3.1 in 1936.
Clothing and Footgear.
At routine medical inspections 99.3 per cent. of the boys and
99.5 per cent. girls were clothed and shod properly. Close
scrutiny has been exerted by the medical inspectors and the findings
are satisfactory.
Nutrition.
In the Entrants 16.4 per cent. of the boys and 16.5 per cent.
of the girls were below normal nutrition for the area. In the
Intermediate group 16.6 per cent. of the boys and 16.8 per cent.
of the girls were under average; in the Leavers' group 12.8 per
cent. of the boys and 7.9 per cent. girls, giving in the whole
school groups examined 15.4 per cent. boys and 14.6 per cent.
girls.
No standard of nutrition, and no universal method of assessment
has yet been evolved. The Board of Education has laid
down the following grades, but in the absence of standardised
tests, and criteria, actual assessment naturally varies with the
varying ideas of the examining medical officers:—
A. Excellent.
B. Normal.
C. Slightly sub-normal.
D. Bad.
Height and Weights.
Table III. gives the results of an enquiry made to ascertain
the average heights and weights of all children examined at
routine inspections during 1938.
As this Table has now been compiled over a period of 10
years, i.e., the length of a child's school life, it is possible to
ascertain the rate of growth of the same group of children from
their entrance to school to the time of their leaving.