View report page

28
Medical Examination of Pre-school children.—Medical examination
at regular intervals is essential if the health of the young
child is to be maintained at the liighest level. In the first year of
life the child should be seen by a doctor at frequent intervals.
After this it is advisable for medical examinations to occur
with some degree of regularity and to secure this regularity efforts
are made to obtain the attendance of young children for medical
examination immediately after their first, second, third and fourth
birthdays with an additional examination at eighteen months
of age. When the child attends school, routine examinations
take place at about the fifth, eighth and eleventh birthdays.
The examinations of pre-school children during the year
under review totalled 2,984 and were made up as follows :—
At the first birthday 839
At eighteen months 623
At the second birthday 634
At the third birthday 572
At the fourth birthday 316
Total 2,984
Whilst these figures indicate that progress is being maintained
much more should be done in the routine medical supervision
of the pre-school child and in the early treatment of defects.
Treatment of defects.—With child welfare work and school
medical work proceeding in the same buildings in each area it is a
simple matter to make available for pre-school children all the
forms of treatment provided for school children.
Information regarding the number of children referred to the
school medical department for treatment is to be found on page 26.
The largest number, 458, were referred for dental treatment,
and the comments of the School Dentist on this part of his work
follow. The number submitted for examination by the orthopaedic
surgeon was 148 and details regarding their treatment
are to be found on page 90.