SUB-NORMAL CHILDREN

Otago Witness, Issue 3526, 11 October 1921, Page 58

SUB-NORMAL CHILDREN

PROPOSED SUMMER SCHOOL. Dr Irwin (Medical Inspector of Schools) delivered an interesting lecture on Wednesday afternoon at tiie Otago Women’s Club on “1 he Advisability of a Summer School for Physically Sub-normal Children.” The speaker was heartily received, and at the conclusion was accorded a most hearty vote of thanks. Dr Irwin said it was her desire to submit for consideration a scheme which her colleague. Dr M'Credy, and herself hoped to carry out this summer in connection with children of sub-normal nutrition. A large number of children of such a type were found in the city schools—the anaemic, the thin, nervous, pretubular, the physically deformed—a class of lowered vitality and resistance to disease. These children ought, unquestionably, to be in open-air classrooms, but at present there seemed little hope of establishing such rooms. The plan they had in view was to invite, say, 50 such children to a seaside resort, where, under conditions of open-air life —a supervised diet and hygienic conditions generally—they hoped that the nutrition of the children would improve and that the children would be on the way to realise their physical and mental best. It was also hoped that they would leave with a fuller appreciation of the extreme value of fresh air, and health habits generally, arid possibly servo as a means of spreading health habits. Children were plastic in mind and body, and were most impressionable. The first camp, no doubt, would bo experimental, but even looking at it from that point of view, it seemed necessary to demonstrate in some practical form the benefit which must accrue. In the light of the present day fuller knowledge of the nutritional value of foods thev should spread that knowledge in every possible way, with the object of preventing educational waste and of giving to every child health, strength, and joy—their natural birthright. In regard to diet, it was known that slight, deficiencies caused stunted growth, bodily deformities, and deterioration of health generally. It was possible for defects arising in this manner not to be observable until illness came and broke down the weak resistance. Worse deficiencies caused disease and death. Indiscriminate eating was a fruitful source of danger, appendicitis, practically unknown in non-meat-eating countries, was one of the commonest diseases among children, and was one of the chief causes of death. That offered a plea for the regulation of diet, without, suggesting necessarily the complete elimination of meat. Dental decay was one of the great scourges of the present day, yet dental authorities held that it could be prevented. The subject of school lunches was very important. These were often quite inadequate, consisting of white bread, jam, and cake, and the children frequently eat them while running about. Dr Irwin quoted numerous statistics regarding the death rate among children, and went on to say that the great upheaval of 1914 had brought home to the nations as nothing else had done the supreme importance of safeguarding the lives of (he children. With regard to the suggested summer school, Dr Irwin said that a school of this kind was run by Dr Gunn at Wanganui two years ago. with, she understood, striking results. She believed that the Education Board would co-operate in the matter of teachers and a possible site, and the professors of the home science department at the University, who were inaugurating a nutrition clinic at the University, were also anxious to co-operate.