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(e) Skin Disease and (f) External Eye Disease.
At medical inspections during the year, 507 children were
found to be suffering from skin affections (as compared with 568
in the year 1937) 115 cases of external eye disease were discovered,
as compared with 85 in the year 1937.
(g) Vision.
Only children with marked visual defect have been referred
for treatment and these, including cases of strabismus, numbered
357. In addition, there were 260 children in whom there was
evidence of a lesser degree of visual defect and these are being
kept under observation.
(h) Ear Disease and Hearing.
0.9 per cent. of the children examined were found to be suffering
from otitis media. (1.2 per cent. in 1937.) The percentage
of deaf children was 0.11, the corresponding figure for last year
being 0.43.
(i) Dental Defects.
The percentage of children found, as the result of dental
inspection in the schools, to be in need of dental treatment was
60.7 per cent, as compared with 62.8 per cent. for last year.
The continued high incidence of dental defect is regrettable, and
shows serious laxity in the care of the teeth, despite considerable
publicity given to the subject during recent years.
Although the position is still far from satisfactory there has
been a definite improvement in the number of children presented
for dental treatment, viz., 57.6 per cent. of the children found to
be suffering from dental disease as compared with 41.9 per cent.
in the year 1937.
(j) Crippling Defects.
Reference to Table III will furnish information with regard
to the occurence of crippling defects in the area. Thirty-one
cases were discovered at routine medical inspection during the
year.