View report page

116
The head teachers are requested to forward lists of those
children admitted to their departments since the last inspection,
and those who are about to leave school. Arrangements
are then made for the doctor to visit the school at
stated times. Parents present at the inspection of children
found defective were carefully advised how to remedy these
defects. This was particularly useful in prolonged debilitating
conditions, and where, for some reason or other, the parent
cannot obtain the advice of a local medical practitioner, and
in those cases where the personal and domestic hygiene
appears to be defective.
In some cases it was possible, at the request of parents,
to have the defect demonstrated to them, such as wax in
ears, enlarged tonsils, etc. This convinced the parents and
made them more willing to have the defect attended to. The
average time taken in the examinations per child was 4.90
minutes. This figure excludes the time wasted in getting
the room, cards and children ready for inspection, but includes
the time taken in testing vision, weighing and
measuring, and advising and addressing parents.
CONDITION OF THE SCHOOL CHILDREN AS
REVEALED BY MEDICAL INSPECTION.
Clothing.—This is carefully examined as to quality,
sufficiency and cleanliness. The condition found on inspection
can hardly be called the normal condition of the clothing,
owing to the notice given beforehand to the parents. The
child usually has on its best clothes and newly-washed body
linen. In the case of some of the less fortunate children, the
clothing is even sometimes borrowed, and the child may have
on more clothing for the occasion than hygiene necessitates.
Even allowing for these circumstances, no less than 26 per
cent. of the children examined were found to be wearing
clothing that was considered to be below the standard of the