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91
per cent.) with nits in the hair, without the presence of lice,
indicates that there had been some cleansing operations in preparation
for the medical inspection. The number of children
whose skins were flea-bitten was appreciably larger.
NUTRITION.
" It will be noted that the number of children whose nutrition is
below normal is larger in the case of entrants than in that of
leavers. A connection nvay be traced between this and the larger
number of cases with enlarged tonsils and adenoids among
entrants, conditions which may be responsible for defective
nutrition in young children.
In some instances parental ignorance of food values plays a
large part in the causation of defective nutrition. Too frequently
children are allowed to come to school without breakfast, or carrying
pieces of bread in the hand, and the children are not encouraged
to cultivate a liking for nutritious food, but are often allowed
to choose their own. One is often told that the child " does not
like milk," but " prefers tea."
NOSE AND THROAT.
"The prevalence of enlarged tonsils and adenoids in this district
is high, reaching 19 .per cent, in the case of tonsils and 5 per cent,
in the case of adenoids, exclusive of a number of cases of children
who are habitual mouth-breathers, in whom adenoids would
probably be diagnosed by digital examination. The systematic
teaching of correct methods of breathing, and the practice of what
may be described as " handkerchief drill " in infant classes should
go far towards remedying these conditions. Chronic post-nasal
catarrh, which is very prevalent among younger children, is a
noteworthy factor in the causation of these affections, and the
encouragement by the teaching staffs of the use of the handkerchief
by infant children is a matter of great importance.