A NATIONAL WORK.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13929, 10 July 1917, Page 1

A NATIONAL WORK.

SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE. INTERVIEW WITH HON. J. A. HANAN. i . | The provisions made some months ngo by the Hon. J. A, Hanan (Minister of Education) for' securing the appointment of schools nurses must be regarded as a most valuable development of the school medical service. ■•'\ In an interview on Wednesday Mr Hanan stated that, judged by the beneficial results already recorded, this service covered a work of such national importance that any reasonable expenditure might be considered as. one of' the soundest investments that could be made by the State. By reason of what was now taking place on the battlefields 'there was a clear ami imperative call for this kind of work, which presented a praiseworthy example of patriotism and real Empire, service.

The six nurses appointed had their headquarters at Auckland, Wanganni, Wellington Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, and each worked under 'the supervision of a medical inspector of schools. Already much beneficial work had been done in the interests of the children and of the homes. The nurses not only assisted the medical inspectors during' their examination of the children, but where necesary they visited the parents in their own homes, giving helpful information and assistance to mothers on matters concerning the welfare of the children and conditions essential to health in and abour the home. Parents were shown how to deal with minor nilmenfs am! injuries, ami were given advice concerning diet and clothing for the children. In Wellington alone some 500 visits had' been made in In!.--way, and the mothers had shown I hemselves most grateful for the suggestions ■!"! help given, The school inrscs thus helped lo bring the medical inspection of schools into association with the work already preformed by -■'.!, !i .opieties as the free kindergarten association ami the übiety for the Protection of the Health of Women and Children.

On several occasions the nurses had detected at a school the liir.l symptoms of infectious diseases, and by the '•:;■ elusion of the children affected had thus probably prevented the outbreak of «erious epidemics and loss of life, The spread of minor contagious skin com plaints had also been greatly checked through the services rendered by the school nurses. In some of the city schools where tooth-brush drill had been iniliated the school nurse supervised the practice, ft is the duty of the nurse also to follow up cases notified by the medical inspectors and requiring I continent, ami to urge the parents if'neccssary to give attention lo dental and physical defects thus reported, and to record the result of the iii-lion taken. By this means medical and dental attention had been received in a very large number of cases Which otherwise would probably have been neglected, In view of the humanitarian nature of this work and o" front national value in helping to Hihl i;n ""'i"i |iie foundation a stronger and healthier race, it was hoped, if funds were made available, that the work now being done in the larger centres would soon be extended to other districts by the appointment of additional nurses, The extension of the school medical service was one which pre-eminently needed to be pressed forward "not with creeping foot," but with an activity worthy of its supreme importance to the future interests of the dominion and the maintenance of the Empire.