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Only three parents refused routine medical inspection
of their children, and the attendance of parents at inspections
reached 90 per cent.
In addition to the routine inspection at school,
medical examination of the child is carried out at
the daily medical inspection Clinic, where during the year
no less than 1,528 individual children attended for 5,013
examinations. These children are referred by head
teachers, attendance officers, health visitors and ethers,
and as the services have now a staff of consultants in Orthopaedics,
Ear, Nose, Throat and Eye defects, these Clinics
are likely to further increase in scope.
Of the 1,372 children examined at routine medical
inspections at school, 23.6 per cent. showed evidence
of defects, mainly in an early stage of development,
but grave defects undiscovered but for routine inspection
were not uncommon. Particulars of these defects
will be seen in Table Ila, in the Appendix of this
Report. Of the children examined at school, the most
common defects were those of the Respiratory Tract; 9 per
cent. showed enlarged Tonsils and Adenoids, while 5 per
cent. showed defective Vision.
The discovery of defects, and the treatment and
remedying of defects discovered is not the be all and end
all of our services, it is more important to discover and
remedy, if one is able, the cause of the departure from the
normal; a task of far greater difficulty, and one that is
apt to be overshadowed by the desire for treatment.
Main Defects discovered at Medical Inspections.
The particular statistics of the defects discovered at
medical inspections can be seen by reference to Table IIa
in the Appendix.
Here are tabulated the defects under the headings of
those which require treatment, and those which require
observation. It might broadly be taken that where treatment
is indicated the defect is gross, and where observation
only is required, the defect is of a mild degree.
One thousand five hundred and twenty-eight individual
children attended Medical Inspection Clinic held each