JUVENILE DEFECTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3193, 18 September 1917, Page 6

JUVENILE DEFECTS

MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOL

CHILDREN

IMPORTANT- RECOMMENDATIONS .

The medical inspection of. schools and school children is dealt with in n decidedly interesting report by the medical inspectors, which, was presented to Parliament yesterday. The \report is signed by Drs. Eleanor S. Baker, Elizabeth H. B. Jlacdonald, Margaret M'Cahon, and Agnes G. Pateraon. Since the inauguration of the system in 1912, over 100,000 children have been examined. Lectures and demonstrations have been given to students in the training colleges, and addresses to teachers and parents. The report states that the defects now treated as a direct result of the inspectors' examination and advico, the quickened interest both of parents and children in matters of health, to say nothing of the striking improvement in personal cloanliness everywhere apparent, repay many times over the comparatively email sum medical inspection lias cost.

Broadly speaking, from one-half to twothirds of our school children arc iu need of the attention of a dentist, an oculist, or physician. This does not mean wot our schools are filled with physical wrecks, but it c'oes mean that our children enjoy much less than their possible measure of good health. They are losers not only in happiness, but in education. - School Nurses. Though tho school nurses have teen working only a few months their success has been .assured. They "follow up" cases notified, giving advice and assistance to inothors. The results have been so excellent that it is hoped their numbers will be increased. Clothing , is as a rule clean and sumdent, though almost every 6chool has a tow dirty, ragged, and destitute children. Many children are much overclothed, but the modern fashion of sending children Jut in bleak weather with knees bare and legs scantily covered is to be deplored. Nutrition. Nutrition is found to be satisfactory or good in the majority of children. It is unsatisfactory or bad in about 10 per cent. A comparison of heights and weights of British and New Zealand children of tho tame age is markedly in favour of the colonials, irho are both taller and heavier. Nevertheless, the average of nutritionshould be higher. It I is a popular fiction that the country child has necessarily superior advantages. Among the ' struggling population of the backblocks houses are often overcrowded and insanitary, food ie monotonous in character and badly cooked, mothers and .children'-both being overworked. Many country children are accustomed to the use of condensed instead of fresh milk. They may travel a Jong distance to school after a scanty breakfast, existing throughout the day on a, scanty lunch brought with them, and often eaten before school begins, and going home in .the evening to the one substantial meal of the day. The bi-st type of» child is to be found in a good farmingdistrict. The. Woodville District High School staff have. lately adopted an organised plan of supervising lunch and providing hot cocoa at a minimum cost for all children remaining at school at midday. Figures showing increase of height and weight for each scholar over a known period give striking proof of the improvement in nutrition brought about by thi9 simolo means.

In dairying districts children are often employed at late and early milking, and overwork is responsible for both physical nnd mental inferiority. Some city children are also handicapped by • overwork or insuflicient leisure. Their minds are over-etimulated by extra studies or amusements, and hours aro spent in practising music or* poring over books, or attending kinematograph entertainments which should be spent in healthy piny outside or in sound sleep in bed. Kinematographs. The following frhows the number of times given by three classes of boye at one school as their attendance at kinetnatographs :— , Standard V 1.—44 boys; 4 go twice a week, H go once a week, * go once a fortnight, rest go seldom. -Standard V.— Si boys; 12 go twice a •week, 35 go once .a week, 4 go once a fortnight, rest go seldom. Standard IV.-61 boys; 1 goes five times a week, 1 goes three times a week, 9 go twice a week, 32 go once a week, 0 go once a fortnight, 2 sell sweets at theatre nightly, rest go seldom. The medical inspectors! express the opinion that "considering this zeal is is a pity that the programme offered is not of a better type. Even where it is not obnoxious much of the drama shown is quite unsuited to children. The cure for this would be a special' matinee programme for children, with non-admission to evening entertainments.-" The report goes on to state that measures for increasing the welfare of children -must be inadequate unless they affect not only their school life but also that greater part of tueir existence which is spent outside the school walls. - Dental Troubles. Referring to the prevalence of decayed teeth, the. report states: "With regard to curative treatment -we feel that though the existing dental hospitals are doing valuable work for school-children they are not sufficient, and that the echool-children require special school dental clinics to which they can have direct access through the recommendation of the school medical staff. There should be no delay and no question as to private means. Many parents would gladly take their children to a school clinic who would hesitate to attend a dental hospital although unable to pay private fees. Further—and this is important—the treatment times can be arranged specially to suit school-children and to avoid unnecessary interference with their school work." The -report also deals with defective hearing and defective vision, obstructed breathing, and physical deformities. Defective vision is more common amongst girls than amongst boys, and amongst town children than country rhiMren. The medical inspectors recommend that more time bo allotted to physical work in our school syllabus. Backward Children. The report states that dull and backward children might receive education .iu two ways:— (1) A special class for backward children might be formed in existing primary schools, the number for each class to be small enough to permit increased individual attention and the curriculum offered giving more liruo to handwork. (2) A special school for day p'jpiis, wfth suitably modified curriculum, might, be opened in each of the four centres, which would receive children too backward for the primary school education. Children improving under this regime could be rolurncd when lit to tfio primary school, while children whoso low mentality made the discipline and training of a rosidontal school ;idvisiblo could be drafted on to the special schools for tho t'coblc-minded. Systematic Supervision. In conclusion the medical inspectors stale ihat tho work of medical inspection has already been of benefit to thousands of children. No doubt parents will move and more appreciato/'iul iiriliso the school medical service,"and that the public generally will recognise that no labour and no effectively-applied expenditure are too groat if they result in the building up of a stronger and healthier nice. This can best bo done by supervising the welfare of children during their early and formative stages of gTOwth. Without such supervision much of our work on behalf of education and social progress will bo severely handioapped, and, what is more important,

tho health and happiness of a considerable number of our peoplo will be uunecessarily impaired. DISCUSSION IN THE HOUSE DIRTY SCHOOLS DENTAL TREATMENT OF SCHOLARS Considerable discussion occurred on tho presentation by tho Minister of Education of tho report in the House, fountry members spoke of the need for more liberal allowances to school committees, saying that tho present allowances wore not sufficient to the proper cleaning of schools. Questions were asked also about dental inspection and dental treatment of school children. The Hon. G. W. Russell (Minister of Public Health) made a brief statement on theso subjects. He said that ho had recently liad a report sent to him from one of "the health officers, in which serious allegations were ma<lo by this officer ns to tho want of cleanliness in many schools, and as to the danger there was of those schools becoming breedinggrounds for disease. This officer had recommended that not only should the

schools be perfectly cleaned every day, but that once in every week the wills ami floors should bo washed down with disinfectant, in order to destroy any bacteria that mijjht have lodged in them. It might bo said that the committees had not enough moneys to do this work. Ho was satisfied, however, that when districts were visited by epidemics no place should be so carefully watched ns tho district echool. In regard to dental inspection, some progress had. been made in Auckland. A good dentil establishment had been set up .by the board, and the medical inspectors had been sending pupils into it for treatment. The. work had now grown so much that the board hnd approached him for financial assistance to extend the work. The Christchurch board wae also erecting a free dental clinic for the purpose of dealing with oases in that district. Ho had informed the board that he was prepared to place another .£250 at their disposal on condition that they provided a similar sum. Similar subsidies would be given to any hospital jjoard which was prepared to take up this dental work. Jft. Young: Without limit? Mr. Russell: I am not prepared to eay that, but if the Public Health Department provides .£2500 per year, and it this sum is subsidised to a similar amount, allowing an average cliarge of 4s. per child, which I think would bea very fair amount, we could deal with. 25.000 children per year. Jlr. J. A. Young, who is by profession a dentist, spoke on the subject of dental inspection and treatment as an expert. He said that it would hot be safe to reckon on an expenditure of less than 10s. per pupil, and he believed that the total cost of dealing with all the school children would not be less than .£75,000 or The Hon. J. A. Hanan said that'very valuable work was being done by the medical inspectors of schools, and their work had been made more efficient by the appointment; of school nurses. Not enough doctors were available for the work, and it was impossible to obtain them. Reference had been mado to the condition of schools and playgrounds in some districts. He was.aware that the condition of some schools was not satisfactory, but there were other echools which were a credit to their districts. If the programme euggested by the public health officw quoted by Mr. Russell was to bo carried out it would cost money, and it would be for Cabinat to say whether money could be provided for this very desirable purpose.. Ho said that the Department was trying the experiment of Bonding out a dental clmio to see how it would work. The work of ttenoral dental inspection and treatmsnt could not be undertaken by the Education Department yet because of the heavy cost. '