MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 156, 26 March 1908, Page 9

MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS

A HINT FROM TASMANIA. Captain T. W. M'Donald, Assistant Ad-jutant-General of tho Wellington Military District, who returned from a holiday trip to. Tasmania (his native Stato) by tho Malieno yosterday, was, interviewed by a representative of The : Dominion. Captain. M'Donald was looking very fit and well, and, in reply to a question, said that lie had had "the ..time of his life," being everywhere : treated with the utmost hospitality. ' . . " Did you find time to look into educational questions in , Tasmania ?" Captain M'Donald was asked.

"Yes, and particularly .into the question of medical inspection of schools," was tile reply. Tho speaker went on to describe tho system in Vogue in Tasmania. The work of medical inspection as carried out in tlmt State was organised .as a branch of the' Department of Education, arid under the control ,of the Chief Health Officer. His assistant was a lady , doctor, who attended to the inspection of, the city schools, and also paid perigdic. visits to the'country districts. Prior to these visits, notices were sent out, and lists of cases, for inspection prepared at the various schools. The inspecting lady officer also invited mothers to meet her for the purpose of discussing questions relating 'to the health of the children; this phase of the work was a feature of this system, and very highly appreciated by the people. The scopo of the inspection embraced such topics as sanitation, ventilation, and lighting of all schools.. , The port health officers at Tlobart and, Launeeston respectively were retained for inspection work at those cities at an honorarium of £50 per annum, and (parried out their, duties on similar lines to thoso already indicated. 1 Education, generally speaking, had made great strides in Tasmania, concluded CaptainM'Doiy.ld, and it might be said that their system was now within a stono's throw of free primary education such as wo have in New Zealnoid. There were , about a dozen scholarships offered annually for secondary education.