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Disturbance of School Arrangements.
No one supposes that the ordinary school curriculum is not disorganised to some extent by
the needs of medical inspection especially where all the available accommodation is required for
educational purposes. The Head Teachers of the district, however, are to be congratulated upon
the arrangements they make under such difficult conditions, and I should like to place on record
once again my appreciation of the fact that the inspecting Medical Officer is always made as
comfortable as circumstances permit.
5.—FINDINGS OF MEDICAL INSPECTIONS.
Malnutrition.
After nearly nine years crying in the wilderness and being asked again and again what is
all the fuss about, it is grim satisfaction that at last the Board of Education is coming to adopt
the view which one has been advocating for so long and that statistical returns with regard to
nutrition, as now set out, are likely to serve something better than those of former days.
It is joy indeed to find in the Board's Administrative Memorandum No. 124 (31st
December, 1934) the following statement, in view of the ink which has been spilt on boosting
mathematical indices, " experience appears to show that, generally speaking, a clinical classification
is more reliable than one based only upon a height-weight-age ratio."
As I have repeated over and over again, the assessment of malnutrition in its early stages
is a matter of difficulty and can only be done with any approximation to accuracy as a result of
long clinical observation. Even now it is melancholy reading, to see that one of the principal
Paediatricians in the Country refers to these nutritional matters as a "stunt."
Facts like the following should be rammed down the throat of the "stunt" supporters in
this matter of malnutrition. There are two adjacent schools in this area, one catering for a population
mainly clerks in Government Offices and people in regular employment, the other chiefly
for casual labourers and people of smaller wages and broken time. As far as housing is concerned
however, in both cases the houses are first class and up-to-date, so there is nothing to
choose between the housing of the two populations, but in the latter school, the Headmaster who
has come from another area, is worried because his children cannot last at anything. They have
no stamina or resistance. As he puts it, they go pretty well to half-time of a game and then fade
out.
It is true this school has not had the same experience as the other and is slightly smaller,
but that is no index to the conditions which led to the defeat in a recent Netball Match by twentythree
goals to one. The same thing appears in their dancing. There is lack of spring and agility,
which is quite a marked feature, and after a short time their feet fail to rise from the floor and
they shuffle about.
The same thing happens with their lessons. Concentration is all right for the first part of
the lesson and then it fades out.
In my opinion, the underlying condition here is largely a nutritional one. There is little or
no difference in the incidence of disease and yet there are certain people in high places who refer
to these claims as " stunts."
Minor Ailments and Diseases of the Skin.
A total of 432 cases of various skin diseases were reported during the year, and with the
exception of 5 cases, all were referred for treatment. As usual, impetigo was the commonest
disease. Table II. shows that there were 153 cases of "other skin disease"; these include such
conditions as eczema, alopecia, seborrhœa, etc.
Visual Defects and External Eye Disease.
Routine medical inspections revealed 175 cases of defective vision, 170 being referred for
treatment. Seven case of squint were also discovered, 6 being referred for treatment.
At the Special Clinics, 87 cases of defective vision and 19 of squint were referred for treatment.
Five cases of minor disease of the eye were discovered at routine medical inspections, and
191 cases were discovered at the Special Clinics.
Nose and Throat Defects.
Two hundred and sixty seven children were found to be suffering from chronic tonsillitis,
and of these 206 were referred for operation.
Twelve children had Adenoids only, 6 being referred for treatment and 6 for observation.
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