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68
AUDIOMETRY
This scheme provides for the routine testing by pure-tone audiometer of every school child's hearing
three times during their school life, normally at the ages of 6, 9 and 13 years. A "sweep" test is carried out
in the first instance in school and failures are then retested at clinics under more favourable conditions. Children
failing a second time are then referred to the School Medical Officers for further investigation.
Special cases (e.g. children who fail to develop proper speech, fail without apparent reason to make
progress at school) are also tested at the request of Medical Officers, Speech Therapists, Educational Psychologists
and Head Teachers. A table showing the numbers dealt with during the year is given below, figures
for 1966 in brackets.

CHIROPODY
The demand for chiropody still increases as children, expectant mothers and nursing mothers are
all fast becoming foot conscious.
As usual many school children attended the clinic for treatment for plantar warts and were approximately
twice as common in girls but against that more boys suffered with chilblains and clawing toes no
doubt due to wearing stretch socks.
Hallux valgus was less common than in the past few years as shoes are a slightly better shape. On
the whole children's feet were in a much better condition and mothers now demand that the feet are measured
each time they buy new shoes.