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These children are re-examined by the Medical Officer when
the school is next visited. If necessary, they are then referred
to the Refraction Clinic for examination by the Ophthalmic
Surgeon.
The eyes of nearly all infants are inclined to be long sighted.
As children grow up the eyes become increasingly used for
reading and study and a tendency to short sight develops.
For this reason I would again stress the necessity of all
children's books and papers having a large, clear, type. There
is considerable danger of short sight developing when children
convalescing after illness are permitted to read in bed, especially
by artificial light.
(h) Defective Hearing. At the routine inspection four
children were found to be suffering from defective hearing,
and eleven from otitis media, all requiring treatment. There
were also seven children with defective hearing requiring to be
kept under observation.
In other words 1.2% of the children examined in the
schools were found to be suffering from defective hearing or
from discharging ears. Furthermore, eight children with defective
hearing, fifty-three with otitis media, and forty-two with
other ear diseases, all requiring treatment, were examined as
special cases at the Health Centre. Deafness and running ears
are still of too frequent occurrence amongst school children. A
discharging ear is a source of considerable discomfort and unpleasantness
to a child. The impairment of hearing which is
nearly always associated with it gives rise to a considerable
handicap in school life. The chronic discharging ear is also a
source of danger owing to complications of the mastoid region
which are liable to arise. Infectious diseases such as measles
and scarlet fever are common causes of discharging ears. Nearly
all the cases of scarlet fever, however, that occur in the Borough
are treated in the Infectious Diseases Hospital, and it is
uncommon for a child to be discharged with a running ear or
with impaired hearing. Infections such as measles, scarlet
fever, influenza, and the common cold, occuring in children with
enlarged tonsils and adenoids are the chief causes of ear trouble
Dental sepsis is also an important contributory factor. Removal
of enlarged tonsils and adenoids and attention to oral and nasal
hygiene are the principal measures for preventing ear diseases.
Greater supervision in the pre-school period would also
undoubtedly help to reduce the incidence of these defects.
(i) Dental Defects. At the routine inspection by the Medical
Officer 143 children were found to have defective teeth requiring
treatment, and 96 to have defective teeth requiring to be kept
under observation. Thus out of a total of 1,713 children examined
in school, 239 or 13.9% were found to have dental caries
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