HEALTH OF BRITISH CHILDREN

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21973, 23 December 1936, Page 5

HEALTH OF BRITISH CHILDREN

IMPROVEMENT NOTED REPORT OF SCHOOL MEDICAL OFFICER (BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) RUGBY. December 21. The annual report of the chief medical officer of the Board of Education states that during the year the new system of classification of nutrition of school children in four classes was generally applied, and the result of a routine examination of 1,667,331 children was that 14.6 per cent, were graded excellent, 74.1 per cent, normal, 10.6 per cent, slightly subnormal, and 0.7 per cent, bad. A comparison with past years was not possible, as 1935 was the first year of the new system of classification, but where statistics of height and weight are given in the reports of the school medical officer, there is almost invariably an increase compared with previous years. For children who show symptoms, however slight, of under-nourish-ment, and whose- parents cannot afford to pay, free meals and milk may be provided at the school. In the year 1935-36 the total number of meals, including milk and meals, provided free, was 87,000,000, compared with 68,000,000 in 1934-35. The increase was entirely due to the milk and meals provided free. The number of these meals rose from 42.200.000 in 1934-35 to 63,700,000 in 1935-36.