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reservation of additional places in Schools of Recovery and Schools
for Physically Defective Children.
(b) Exceptional Children.
Towards the termination of routine medical inspection in
each school, teachers are requested to bring before the School
Medical Officer any special cases who may require examination,
and to include amongst these all cases falling within the category
of "exceptional children" (Table III). In this way an annual
census of all cripples is rendered possible, whilst particulars may
be obtained and advice given as to their progress and treatment.
(c) Places of Medical Inspection.
The work of medical inspection is carried out during
school hours and on school premises in every case, and disturbance
of school arrangements is reduced to a minimum.
5. FINDINGS OF MEDICAL INSPECTIONS.
The following comparative table serves to indicate the number
and percentage of children found to be in need of medical or surgical
treatment in the three age groups inspected during the year.
Under present conditions it is probable that this percentage
will not show any marked reduction or fluctuation from year to
year, for the reasons which were discussed in my report for last
year and which, in essence, embraced the fact that, unfortunately,
a large majority of the defects found have had their inception
before the children have reached school age and, in many cases,
the defect is of such a nature that definite cure is impossible and
all that can be expected is to check its progress, whilst in other
cases prolonged treatment, sometimes throughout school life, is
necessary in order to effect a cure.
On the other hand, the past ten years has brought about a
remarkable improvement in the general health, physique, vitality
and personal hygiene; the delicate, dull and malnourished children,
so commonly encountered ten years ago, have given place to the
more robust, alert, clean and athletic type met with in our schools
to.day. Similarly one seldom meets with that palpable neglect to
seek treatment for conditions which are perfectly obvious to the
parents, and one is more than gratified to think that the suffering
and fatality, consequent upon neglect of defects, trivial perhaps at
the onset, is now of very rare occurrence.