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speedy recovery. Other cases follow an attack of scarlet
fever. A certain number occur in debilitated children without
obvious cause. In one or two instances the discharge had a
most offensive smell, so bad in fact that the question of
excluding the child from school had to be considered.
Diseases and Defects of the Eye.—12.74 per cent. of
boys and 14.44 Per cent. of girls examined were found to be
suffering from defective vision. The defect was considered
to be present in such degree that their capacity for education
was impaired, unless spectacles should be used or other
medical treatment should be employed. It will be noted that
.1 larger percentage of girls than boys suffered from defective
eyesight. This is probably due in some degree to the
functional stress incidental to the onset of puberty in girls,
but to a much larger extent to the strain entailed on the
eyesight by fine sewing. The prevention of defective eyesight
is a matter of some importance. The principal causes
are as follow:—
(1) Heredity.—This is of great importance in the condition
known as short sight, or myopia. Its influence is
probably of small import in the other and more numerous
varieties of the defect.
(2) Hygienic Conditions.—These, when bad, certainly
predispose a child to bad sight. There is no doubt that defects
of eyesight that would remain latent in a healthy child
soon assert themselves in a debilitated or badly-nourished
child.
(3) Illumination.—Defective lighting of schools, churches
and dwelling houses is an important contributory cause. The
child is forced to bring print close to its eyes in a bad light;
this leads to excessive convergence of the eyes and consequent
strain on the eyeball.