HEALTH OF CHILDREN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 16 August 1924, Page 4

HEALTH OF CHILDREN

MEDICAL INSPECTION IN THE

SCHOOLS IMPORTANCE OF DIET BROWN BREAD AND GREEN VEGETABLES INTERVIEW WITH DR. KEITH One of the finest developments of the last few years is the medical inspection of school children. As an Evening Alail representative watched children being examined in one of the city schools the other day—little boys of six years old—he could not help being further impressed with the importance of the work both for the kiddies themselves and for New Zealand as a whole. In many cases there were indications of incipient defects, which in the young plastic bodies, could be rectified with comparative case. In years gone by the State to all intents and purposes sat. back and did nothing until all the trouble had been experienced and very little could be done other than prevent starvation or ameliorate suffering before death.

If it is right to build hospitals and care for the sick, it is also right and more, it is commonsense also, to strive to prevent sickness and physical debility. And the time of great opportunity is in the early years of childhood an(i also, of course, in babyhood. It is little use cramming lessons into frail bodies and it is really a reflection on our intelligence as a community that the efficient care of the health of school children has not preceded the ordinary teaching. But. as wo have said, a start has been made to begin at the beginning and steadily, week bv week, the work of medical inspection is proceeding throughout the schools of the dominion.

When an Evening Mail representative dropped in on the work of Dr. Keith, schools medical officer in the Nelson district the other day, he soon found that the inspection was proving invaluable, not only in the discovery of incipient defects, but in giving many mothers who attended advice regarding proper feeding and iv other matters pertaining to the health of their children. In speaking Helpfully to one of the mothers who accepted the invitation to be present while her child was examined, Dr. Keith said it was possible to injure a child by kindness as well as by neglect and he thought that certain defects observable, especially that- of what is termed" pigeon breast, had been caused by wrong diet. This little chap’s chest was narrow, comine aligost to a point in the’’middle ' and falling, away at each side. - “You don’t feed ■him on brown bread, do you?” said Dr. Keith. “No, I thought not. These deformities of the chest- are mainly caused by wrong diet-, especially white bread, which lacks the bone- forming qualities of brown bread. "We don’t want the hoy to grow up with a chest like that. Fortunately it will be possible to almost completely remedy the defect. But you must do your part in seeing that the boy bas plenty of brown bread and green vegetables. The exercises given at school will bring out the chest- if you do your part in the home.” An eager assurance of hearty co-operation was given and the future prospects of thi_ little chap improved most materially. The child’s mouth was then examined and here too were the signs of defective teeth, but there was nothing to worry about, provided the tooth-brush was used, especially at night. If chocolates or sweets were eaten, special care should he taken to thoroughly cleanse the mouth and teeth soon after.

In another case examined, it' was found that a boy bearing the appearance of not. having a great deal of care bestowed upon him in the home, had a really fine set of strong perfect teeth, evidently due, said Dr. Keith, to his having had to eat a good deal of rough food. The roof of the mouth was well shaped and in every way this most vital part of the boy’s anatomy was developing along lines that would lead to a healthy manhood. “Parents cannot be too diligent in providing their children with plenty of hard baked or toasted brown bread crusts,” said Dr. Keith, “not forgetting, of course, the green vegetables. Brown bread and green vegetables, these are the articles of diet that must be provided if we are to have strong, healthy, well developed children. There seemed to be considerable variation in the appearance of the skin of children examined. It was clear some wore too many clothes. In these cases the skin was not healthy looking, and it is doubtful if the children had much natural 1 resistance to cold. One boy examined bore the appearance of having had plenty of sea bathing and sun basking in the' summer months. His skin had not lost the signs of tanning and he seemed to wear less clothes than the majority. While it is just as necessary to see that a child is not, overclothed as underclothed, this, of course, is not the time of the year to make any drastic change. “I would like t-o impress on all mothers the importance of caring for the molars, that is the teeth at the back of the mouth, and they come generally in the sixth year,” said Dr. Keith. Many mothers appear to be under the impression that these are first teeth, soon to be replaced. These are the most impor-' tnnt teeth in the set and if lost are never replaced. To all intents and purposes they are “second teeth”; and at any rate should be regarded as such. A record of each child’s condition is kept on a separate card and compared with the condition revealed later on. A child is examined first in the primers, then when Standard 11. has been reached, and lastly before leaving, 6th Std. Altogether it is a great work, of the utmost value to the child, to tli© parents and to the State. By the expenditure of a small sum now the number of inefficients can be greatly reduced, then the State will be the gainer by a very big margin. Dr. Keith is assisted in the work by the school medical nurse, Miss Fabian, and one of the teachers is detailed off to arrange for the children’s tention throughout the year. Dr. Keith says it is very pleasing to find that the teachers take a very keen interest in the health of the children, and render every assistance possible, not, only at the examinations but in keeping an eye on children requiring special attention.