View report page

The Cleansing Attendant was absent from duty on account
of illness throughout the year, and towards the end of 1930 was
superannuated for reasons of ill health. The School NurseHealth
Visitors continued to carry out the systematic inspection
of all the scholars in their schools three times a year, i.e., after
the Christmas, Easter, and Mid-Summer holidays. This inspection
reveals not only unclean children, but also children suffering
from defective vision, minor ailments, anaemia, malnutrition,
etc. These latter children are referred either to their own doctors
or to the Health Centre where they are seen by one of the school
medical staff.
The number of examinations of children carried out in the
schools by the School Nurses amounted to 12,704. This means
that nearly every child was inspected for uncleanliness three
times during the year. On an average, the nurses paid 7 visits
to each school.
A much higher standard of cleanliness has been insisted
upon and there is no doubt that a considerable improvement has
been effected.
75 children were cleansed at the Health Centre in accordance
with the arrangements made by the Education Committee. This
figure is 25% loss than that for the previous year. Now that
the services of a Cleansing Attendant are no longer available, a
larger number of children are being cleansed by their parents
at home. Apart from a small number of cases where the mothers
are unable through illness or other bona fide reasons to cleanse
the children themselves, this is in every way the more desirable
method of dealing with the problem. The fact that a slightly
higher number of unclean children were found by the nurses in
school during the year is accounted for by the considerably enhanced
standard of cleanliness which has been insisted upon.
In no cases were legal proceedings necessary.
(b) Minor Ailments. See below and also sections under
Medical Treatment.
(c) Tonsils and Adenoids. At the routine medical inspection
there were 48 cases of enlarged tonsils, 3 cases of adenoids, and
45 cases of adenoids with enlarged tonsils. Thus out of 1,891
children examined in the routine way, 96 or approximately 5%
were found to require operation. In addition there were 164
children or 8.6% with enlarged tonsils or with adenoids and enlarged
tonsils requiring to be kept under observation but not
requiring treatment. At the Health Centre 110 other cases were
found on special examination to require operation for this condition.
These percentages are slightly higher than those for the
preceding year.
(d) Tuberculosis. Three suspected cases of pulmonary tuberculosis
requiring treatment and one suspected case requiring
observation were discovered at the routine medical inspection.
69