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Mental Capacity.— This was only recorded in the Boys'
and Girls' Departments, not in the Infants.
The teachers were asked to state their opinion of the
child's ability according to the following scales: Good, Average,
Dull, Defective.
The results indicate that 39.6 per cent, were Good, 41
per cent. Average, 8.1 per cent. Dull, 0.9 per cent. Defective.
The figures for the different schools showed considerable
variation, due, no doubt, to the personal interpretation of the
teacher; what one might term average, another would call
dull, and so on.
Verminous Conditions.— Of the 3,623 children examined,
235 had vermin either on the head or body. So many of the
girls had nits in the head that these had to be ignored, and only
cases with vermin present were dealt with. Both teachers and
attendance officers have commented on the improvement in the
cleanliness of the children which has taken place since Medical
Inspection began. It should soon be possible to raise the
standard of cleanliness required so that the presence even of
nits can be objected to.
The following list gives the number and percentage of
Verminous children:—