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47
Parents present at the inspection have been 79, 56 and 36 per cent.
respectively for the infants, 8-9 year old group and leavers: a very satisfactory
figure.
The Committee has this year carried out a scheduling of the whole district
of all children from the age of two up to 14 years. All absentees of school age
have been reported, so that Table III is fairly correct as regards defective
children not at school. Regarding any possible defectives who attend school,
the Head Teachers are invited to submit these at any routine inspection or
send them to the School Clinic for medical examination.
Children with symptoms suggestive of any infectious complaint are sent to
the Town Hall rather than the clinic, so as to avoid mixing with other children.
No schools or departments have been closed during the year: individual
exclusions have been carried out under Art. 53 (b) of the Code.
REVIEW OF THE FACTS DISCLOSED BY
MEDICAL INSPECTION.
Table II. gives these defects, and I propose to take them seriatim. As
Dr. Strong has been carrying out this inspection for several years past, a certain
standard must have been adopted by him, and I willl compare the findings of
1923 with those of the previous three years.
Malnutrition.—There is a slight increase as compared with previous
years, the 8-9 year old group furnish 42 per cent., the leavers 30 per cent., and
the infants only 28 per cent. It is noteworthy that the 8-9 year old group were
born during the war and for the next few years were living under war
conditions.
Uncleanliness.—These figures shew a marked increase over those of
the previous two years, and have approximated those of 1920. One may offer
an explanation—that it is due to a decrease in the morale and social
responsibility, associated with a lack of employment in the district. Whatever
the explanation, it means a serious backslide into conditions prevailing prior
to medical inspection, and from which it was hoped that we had emerged once
and for all time.
Skin Complaints.—Whilst ringworm of the skin remains fairly steady,
ringworm of the scalp—a far more serious complaint, has decreased from 103
cases in 1920, 71 in 1921, 52 in 1922, to 50 in 1923.