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8
The Council decided in July to appoint a second nurse whose
work would principally be in connection with school medical work
Since she commenced her duties in September it has been possible
to visit the homes of a very considerable number of children
reported by the teachers to be absent on account of measles,
whooping cough, mumps or tonsilitis. From September to
December 31st, 177 homes were thus visited.
It has not been possible altogether to exclude infectious cases
from attendance at the Inspection Clinic at Radnor House, as the
nature of these cases is frequently not recognisable by the teachers.
Especially does this apply to whooping cough, but the number of
infectious cases sent to the Clinic has much diminished of late, and
arrangements have been made for suspected cases to be separated
while waiting, from the children attending for other reasons. In
many instances the diagnosis of infectious disease sent by parents
to the head teachers was not confirmed on visitation by the nurse,
and the children were in consequence able to return to school at a
much earlier date than would otherwise have been the case. In
every case visited by the nurse or seen by the School Medical
Officer at Radnor House in which children were absent from school,
certificates were sent to the head teachers as to their fitness or
otherwise to attend school. Eight hundred and ninety-six certificates
were thus issued and in each case a copy was sent to the
School Attendance Officer.
Eight hundred and forty-seven of the new cases attending the
clinic were sent by the head teachers to ascertain whether the
children were lit to attend school, and 76 by the attendance
officer, the head teachers, as a rule, preferring to submit the cases
to the School Medical Officer for opinion before placing the matter
in the hands of the attendance officers.
These facts indicate that Medical Inspection bears a very
important and close relationship to the question of school
attendance, and it should considerably assist the work of the
Committee in this respect.