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The percentage of children with normal vision of one or the other eye was:
for ten year old boys, 76.8; thirteen year old boys, 78.0; ten year old girls,
72.7; and thirteen year old girls, 43.6. Thus well over a fifth of the children
examined had unsatisfactory eyesight.
The percentages of children with acute vision, that is, who were able to see
at six metres distance the test types which are seen at five metres only by the
normal eye, were 10 year old boys, 30.3; 13 year old boys, 36.8; 10 year old
girls, 19.6; and 13 year old girls, 23.9. Here again there is a marked difference
between boys and girls, and a marked improvement in the elder children.
The number of children from 10 to 13 years of age wearing glasses was 29
boys and 50 girls, or 15.1 per cent, of the boys and 24.7 per cent, of the girls
who had eyesight of 6/18 or worse in one or both eyes.
Ear Disease.
This was present in 51 children, or 1.16 per cent. In 25 cases the right ear
alone was affected, in 18 the left ear alone was affected, and in 8 cases both ears.
There was a history of ear discharge with 49 children, or 1.17 per cent. The
ears of the children were free from discharge at the time of examination, but
were subject to it at more or less frequent intervals. The ears were obstructed
by wax in 41 children.
Hearing.
The hearing was tested with a stop watch in the case of children over q
years of age. The hearing was good in both ears in the case of 81.5 per cent,
of the children examined. The hearing of the boys was a little better than that
of the girls, and the hearing of the ten year old group was a little better than
that of the thirteen year old group.
Speech.
Speech was defective in the case of 10 children, all of whom were under
the age of eight. In these cases the defect was marked. Slight defects of
speech in infants of five or six, where the child has not yet learnt to talk
properly, are very common, and improve after they have been at school.
The number of stammerers was n, all except one being boys.
Heart and Circulation.
Twelve children were anaemic, 3 to a slight extent only. Of the 12
children, 8 were boys and 4 girls.