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From these figures, it will be seen that on admission to
school 3.5 per cent. of the boys and 25 per cent. of the girls
are affected with nits, and on leaving 7.9 per cent. of the
boys and 35.2 per cent. of the girls. This shews the great
amount of care required whilst the children are at school.
It was hoped that a decreasing amount of uncleanliness might
be shewn, according as to whether the children had reached
their first, second or third inspection. Unfortunately the
figures in the second column do not bear this out, for whereas
3.4 per cent. of the boys and 24.4 per cent. of the girls were
found in the condition described on their first inspection, 2.7
per cent. of the boys and 27.8 per cent. of the girls were found
in a like condition on their third inspection, but the number
of children who have reached their third inspection is very
small, and much reliance cannot be placed upon them. In
this connection I would refer to the most excellent procedure
adopted at North Road School. Here every child is
examined by the School Nurse previous to admission, with
the astonishing result that of 78 children examined one only
was found to have the hair affected, and not one case
amongst the infants.
As soon as the staff of the office admits, it is hoped to
inaugurate this practice of inspection at every school, as by
this means dirty conditions are attacked from its inception
so far as the school is concerned.
The following analysis of the history of 155 unclean
children, although certainly disappointing, may be of interest.
Of 123 children (girls) found to have traces of vermin on the
first examination, 77 still shewed unclean on the second