View report page

142
DEFECTS FOUND IN THE COURSE OF
INSPECTION.
Nutrition.
It is a matter of some difficulty to say precisely what is
connoted by the term "malnutrition." It is used in this
report to define children who are obviously under the proper
standard of good health, yet, at the same time, those in whom
no organic disease can be discovered. For example, chronic
tuberculosis may well produce "malnutrition, but the child
so suffering is not included under the heading of "malnutrition"
but of chronic phthisis. In arriving at a conclusion,
height and weight are of great importance, yet are not the
predominant factors, for a child may be small yet of excellent
nutrition. There can be no doubt that the indefinite use of
the term "malnutrition" has been largely tne cause of the
great diversity in the number of children who are found
to be suffering from "malnutrition" by various medical
officers. For example, in one Metropolitan district "malnutrition"
has been recorded in 30 per cent, of the boys, and in
a neighbouring district only 5 per cent. Similar variations
are found elsewhere. In a former report, it was pointed
out. that out of 3,645 children examined, 4.14 per cent,
showed signs of defective nutrition. Of the 1.641 children
examined, 77 (4.6 per cent.) were found to be suffering from
"malnutrition" as defined above, consisting of 11 boys and 22
girls (entrants); 15 boys and 14 girls (intermediates); 9 boys
and 6 girls (leavers). On the other hand, of the 1,641
children examined 119 (7 per cent.) are classed as excellent,
consisting of 23 boys, 19 girls (entrants); 21 boys, 12 girls
(intermediates); 12 boys and 32 girls (leavers).