View report page

40
Medical Inspection.
During the year, as has been the practice for some
years, inspections were made of the heads of the girls
and infants in the school on three particular occasions,
after the Christmas holidays, after the Easter holidays,
and after the Summer holidays. On the first and third
occasions all the girls' and infants' departments were
inspected, but on the second occasion, five departments,
which are usually found to give very little trouble,
were omitted.
At these inspections 9,087 children were examined,
914 (or 10.0 per cent.) were found to be verminous.
Of those found to be verminous 460 were excluded.
The School Attendance Officer issued summonses
with respect to 33 cases which were not cleansed in
14 days. A fine of 10s. was imposed by the Justices
in two cases, and 5s. in twenty cases. Seven cases were
dismissed and four cautioned. The number of cases
dismissed is an unusual feature of this part of school
medical work in the course of the year. Dismissal of
the cases arose through a misunderstanding with the
Justices to whom representation was made by the
Education Committee as result of a report from the
School Medical Officer. The Justices have since shown
by their treatment of the summonses in verminous
cases that they are in sympathy with our attempts to
deal with this very difficult branch of the school
medical work.
(b) Minor Ailments.—By the term " minor ailment "
may be defined such conditions as blepharitis, conjunctivitis,
otorrhoea, ringworm, scabies, impetigo,
septic sores, cuts, etc., which can be, and usually are,
treated at the School Clinic. It is the practice of the