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A sufficient number of children have not yet been
inspected to warrant any decided opinion regarding the details
in the above Tables. It is interesting to note, however, that in
the Infants' Departments the 154 boys between 5 and 6 years of
age are, on an average, half an inch taller than the height given
for the same age period in the table of comparison, whilst the
weights are identical. The 170 girls of the same age period are
taller by over an inch but not so heavy by l½lbs. on the average,
as compared with the figures given in the table of comparison.
In the upper departments the average of the 59 boys at 13 years
of age and the 54 boys at 14 years of age approximate closely to
the figures in the table of comparison. The 79 girls at 13 years of
age are slightly taller though not so heavy, on the average, as
compared with the figures given in the table of comparison.
These tables, to a certain extent, confirm some facts which
have been uniformly observed by previous investigators, viz.,
that at from 5 to 10 years of age boys grow more rapidly than
girls, whereas from 10 to 15 years of age, girls grow more
rapidly than boys.
(g) Review of action taken to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
On the threatened outbreak of an infectious disease in
the neighbourhood of any of the schools your Medical Officer
has visited the schools and inspected the scholars.
Scarlet Fever.—Owing to an outbreak of scarlet fever
in the neighbourhood of St. John's Schools in October the
schools were visited daily for three weeks and the children in
the Girls'and Infants' Departments inspected for any evidence
of the disease. Eight children in the girls' department and two
in the infants' department were attacked at different periods.
A mild case in the peeling stage, attending school, was discovered
by the medical officer and after this case was removed
to Hospital only one other case occurred in these schools. The
schools were closed for one day for disinfection and cleansing.