View report page

85
HYGIENIC CONDITIONS OF THE SCHOOLS.
It is pleasing to record the fact that considerable improvements
have been effected during the past few years in the sanitary
conditions of the schools in the Borough, but there is still m???
to be done in a number of the older schools, but I am afraid that
the effects of the war, together with the high education rate, with
postpone further improvements that should be carried out.
When we consider that an important part of a child's life in
spent on school premises at the time of life (5 to 14 years) wnen
it is most important for the future welfare that the child should be
placed under most perfect surrounding as regards ventilation an-'
good lighting, it should be our duty to render the school premises
as hygienic as possible.
The bad lighting of many of our schools is accountable in my
opinion for the large number of cases of defective vision discovered.
The sanitary conveniences are in most cases very satisfactory.
I would again call attention to the danger of the common
drinking cup in the schools.
I should like to see a drinking spray installed.
The common danger was particularly brought to my notice
during an outbreak of Diphtheria at one of our schools. Although
I visited the school and swabbed the children's throats in the
various classes affected, the disease was not checked until the
school was closed for a fortnight.
It was quite possible that a "carrier" of the disease through
the drinking cup infected those who contracted the disease.
Disinfection of certain class-rooms of schools is frequently
carried out when an outbreak of infectious disease occurs, and
apart from the school above mentioned it was not found necessary
to close any other school on account of infect'ous d'sease being
prevalent.