SCHOOL CHILDREN'S HAIR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9653, 9 July 1919, Page 5

SCHOOL CHILDREN'S HAIR.

Mr J. B. Bprthwiek, headmaster of tho Hampstead School, in regard to the allegations in the letter concerning "beasts'with many legs" in the hair of children attending .the Hampstead School., showed the reporter the circular issued by the Education Department's Medical Branch dealing with the care of .the hair of school children. An extract from the ■.circular- read as follows:—, . ■ "

"The : school' medical officers ; wish to draw the attentiou of parents to the ■'fact/tl-jat;; the' hair of children,, even cleancluTdren,"is' liable to got into ari: unclean' ciondition: owing .to infection by small insects (head-lice). The4"nits": or eggs oi' these insects will be found; as whitish specks firmly glued to the hair. With proper patient treatment this condition caii always "be got rid of.'. It should never be neglected, as it may lead to the formation ..of scabs and sores' on the. head and enlarged glands in tho neck, resulting sometimes in ab-y scesses in the neck and oven tuberculosis."

."The-circular then goes,on to give".advice .'to parents as to, the most effective means of eradicating the pest, and also warns, parents to., caution their children not to exchange hats or caps, as this' helps to spread infection. Mr Borthwick said that the fact that the Department had. thought fit to issue the. circular was sufficient proof that' the "little strangers' 1 were not peculiar to Hampstead School. The children were warned by the teachers to exercise great care in regard to their hair, just the same as they were frequently reminded of the necessity of cleaning "their tee£h. ' In addition to this, a periodical inspection was made by the Department's officers, which included inspection of the hair, the last visit having been made to Hampstead about three months ago. The, teachers' duties did not include a, general hair inspection, but if a teacher,had reason, to believe that a child was irritated through the presence of unwanted visitors in the hair, an examination was made privately, and the Department's, circular sent to the parents with a,request to immediately take steps to. remedy the evil. ; . ■ Mr * Borthwick wenton to state that after all the onus was on the parents to keep their children clean, and if a daily inspection of the hair could not rtje' made,' th'eii the inspection,, should be made at very frequent intervals. He; had been, a teacher for 40 years, and eight years at Hampstead, and h6qould; state most emphatically that he Had: never been connected with a school where the children were taken better care of by the parents than at Hampstead School. He also wished to draw attention "to the concluding portion of the correspondent's letter, viz: "I could go on for some time with worse complaints, but will stop, and trust : others will have something to say, and I hope those in authority will fix matters at an early date." The sentence, said Mr Borthwick, following on the reference to the school, was ambiguous 3,nd might be taken by some readers to refer to the school, although personally, he took it that the writer intended to refer to complaints generally in the district.