The Thames Star. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1911. EDITORIAL.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue XLVII, 29 December 1911, Page 2

The Thames Star. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1911. EDITORIAL.

THE CHILDREN OF ENGLAND. STARTLING. FLGUKE'S. A romjirkafblq report) has been pr'o>sented to tho 'British Board of "Eduoaticvn bj' Sir George Newman, its Chief Medical Officer. Sir George and his assistants have m'ada a, medical inspoution cif tlie" children attending tliu jH'kfiu elemen.tai-y sdiools of England and Wales.- About six million children w«re broxiglit under notice, and the returns disclose the startling i'atet that about G3 par cent of them were suffeiing Sixmi infirmity or disfcttso of a. kind likely t<n interfere, with tlioir studies or handicap them in life. A eon&iderabla prcipoition of the ciiikirai weire f<unid t<v show in their botdies the effect of malnutrition. In other words, the}' were not getting 'enough good food to keep them in a proper sttao of health. Dorset, iSbmorS'et, Bedfordshire, ■ Staffordshire and Surrey 'contained from 12 to 20 nor cont" of scho<>l children who woro under-fed. Anionu tlui 6,000,000 scholars. 600,000 had seriously dsfedtivo ■ vision, -360,000 vero Miififering from tidenoids, 60.00f> . had contracteii tuberaiiitsis. and 2,400,000 had unsound teeth. "Th • » report leads to the Loncilnsiiiii," suvs--fcha London Times, "that the trouble is too widely diffused to bo attrilmSablo to poverty in mmro than :\ snu:ll propWt.''on of iho "uses ; and a. *i'o!" probable explanation seems to be nf j forded Lry tho i<_'ii"iance of 'Hnglish w'oniw) of tho inchu- ! trial claiis'.s (iO«w>i"nin,g food v:<Jiir<. cotuken' and tlu general economy of dictut-ks. Tl'.oiv ' nrokibly imiclt truth in tlio assertion that th" was+c of an ortlimhiy Ehio-lish houtwhold j would maintaJn an o.rdinaiy French one of tho samo class." But. it is ''of fair to plnco all the blame upon Mio shoulders, of tho i)uo>r mothers. Tlio ~ investigations made in <™>;;co'ti<ni with thu ic<tiiu «ti-ikos hss-Ve shewn that nearly «, millitin men wlio ar. v cmploycfl"hy tlu' British ra;l\v:ns oarn not more Than JOs >x wc^ik e;u!i. .9ir Geoi'^v Ncwnwin dncs not attempt to sutrgf^t. rudical renv.'di••■-'. but liis report slk*\m nj^uin that the csin.c of rworty i-: f;)lliiur tip"" J?>:t.iinV chiidrep with tho cnic-llest »everitv.