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At the Health Centres there were 2,592 non-routine inspections
of children who were submitted by the head-teachers, school
enquiry officers or school nurses on account of some defect or
suspected defect, and of whom 1,057 attended for re-inspection.
Owing to a defect being found on a previous routine or non-routine
inspection 830 children were submitted to a re-examination.
There were, therefore, 4,479 special inspections or re-inspections
of children. Included in these numbers are the physically and
mentally defective children kept under supervision and re-examined
each year.
The total number of children attending public elementary
schools who were examined once at least during the year was
7,527. The average number of children on the school registers
was 11,769. This means that 64 per cent, of the children on the
registers were medically examined during the year. The average
attendance at the schools was 88.5 per cent.
Findings of School Medical Inspection.
The number of defects noted on routine medical inspection
at the schools and on the special inspections or re-inspections are
given in Table II. Among the 4,935 children examined in a
routine manner there were 2,063 defects requiring treatment and
1,775 requiring to be kept under observation without treatment;
and among 2,592 children specially examined there were found
2,025 defects requiring treatment and 325 requiring to be kept
under observation. Of the 4,935 children examined at the routine
inspections, 873, or 17.7 per cent., were found to require treatment
for defective conditions other than uncleanliness and dental
disease.
(a) Uncleanliness.—The heads of all the girls attending
public elementary schools were inspected three times in the year
after the usual school holidays. Of the 23,094 children examined,
310, or 1.3 per cent., were excluded on account of verminous
condition. There were 99 other children with verminous heads
found at the routine medical inspection in the schools, and 52
found at special inspections after being referred for examination
by the head-teachers.