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11
(d) Skin disease.
Diseases of the skin are by far the most frequently met
with condition, and, unpalatable as the fact may be, it
cannot be denied that the majority of the cases are due
to a low standard of personal cleanliness.
Sixty-four cases of scabies (Itch), 57 cases of impetigo
and a large number of septic sores were found and referred
for treatment. The number of cases of ringworm of the
scalp, 21, was practically the same as last year. Eighteen
cases of ringworm of the body were also found.
(e) External eye disease.
Ten cases of inflamed eyelids and six of conjunctivitis
were found.
(f) Vision.
One hundred and forty-three children were found to
have defective vision, and in addition 22 suffered from
strabismus (squint), making in all 165 cases. Of these,
97 were discovered during routine examination of the
intermediates and leavers, approximately 10.7%, the figure
last year being 15%.
In all, 133 cases were referred for examination with a
view to glasses being obtained if necessary.
(g) Ear disease and hearing.
Persistently defective hearing is usually caused by
middle ear suppuration, or is associated with adenoids or
enlarged tonsils. During the routine examination of 1,700
children, 39 were noted as having defective hearing, 23 of
these being cases where ear discharge was present or there
was a history of this condition having existed recently. At
the lowest estimate therefore rather more than 2% of
children suffered from deafness of a persistent character.