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66
MEDICAL INSPECTION.
The medical inspections carried ont comprise (1) the routine
inspection in the schools of children in the three age-groups recommended
by the Board of Education—(a) entrants, (b) at eight years,
and (c) at twelve years; (2) the special inspection of children
referred by the head-teachers, school nurses, etc., and (3) the annual
inspection of physically or mentally defective children. Table I,
on page 95, indicates the number of inspections carried out in
the various groups during the year under review.
FINDINGS OF MEDICAL INSPECTIONS.
A detailed summary of defects found at both routine and
special inspections is contained in Table II on page 96.
Among the 5,900 children examined in a routine manner
there were, excluding uncleanliness and dental disease, 832 defects
requiring treatment and 1,170 requiring to be kept under observation.
The examination of the 3,880 children presented for
special inspection revealed 2,907 defects requiring treatment and
369 requiring to be kept under observation.
Of the 5,900 children examined at the routine inspections
787, or 13.3 per cent., were found to require treatment for one or
more defective conditions. Mention may be made of the fact that
medical inspection during 1933 throughout the whole of England
and Wales revealed 17.3 per cent. of the children inspected to
be in need of treatment. The percentage of defective children in
the Borough may therefore be regarded as very satisfactory.
(a) Malnutrition.—Considerable attention has been devoted
in recent years to the question of malnutrition among school
children. Fortunately, the social conditions prevailing in the
Borough are such that a definite case of malnutrition is very rare
indeed. In each of the last four years one case only has been
recorded. The case coming under notice during 1934 was a boy,
twelve years of age, who came from a family in very poor circumstances.
At medical inspection in the previous year he had been
placed under observation on account of slight malnutrition. Following
his re-examination he was sent for a period of convalescent
treatment at Parkstone and returned home greatly improved in
health.