H.—3l.

Summary of Complete Examinations—continued. Percentage of children showing evidence of —continued. Eye European. Maori. External eye disease .. .. .. .. 0-91 0-63 Total defective vision .. .. .. .. 4-34 1-57 Corrected .. .. .. .. .. 2-42 0-14 Uncorrected .. .. .. .. .. 1-92 1-43 Ear — Otorrhoea .. .. .. .. .. 0-18 0-44 Defective hearing .. . . . . .. 0-33 0-28 Defective speech .. .. .. .. .. 0-50 0-19 Mental— Feeble-mindedness .. .. .. .. 0-19 0-12 Epilepsy .. .. .. .. .. 0-03 Other nervous defects .. .. .. .. 0-11 Tuberculosis— Total .. .. .. .. .. 0-02 o'4o Pulmonary .. .. .. .. .. 0-01 0-24 Other tissues .. .. .. .. 0-01 0-16 School Medical Officers report that the general health of the children was good. There was no serious epidemic of infectious disease, and little time was lost on account of minor sickness. Kindergarten and Pre-school Children. Medical inspection is provided for all children attending kindergartens who have not their own medical advisers, and, in addition, School Medical Officers examine pre-school children whenever the opportunity offers. The defects found are similar to those found in primary-school children and afford evidence of the necessity of medical inspection for this group of children. Parents and teachers of kindergartens take a great interest in these medical examinations, and in most cases take advantage of the advice given. Dr. Anderson reports that it would be of great advantage if the dental clinic commenced operations at the kindergarten stage when the parents are more amenable. At one kindergarten of twenty-three children which Dr. Irwin examined in Southland, ten had perfect teeth ; she considers there is a good field for special observation with regard to milk-consumption, nutrition, and teeth at kindergartens. Dr. Rippin reports that all the five kindergartens in Dunedin were visited during 1939 ; there was an excellent response to invitations sent out to mothers, 75 per cent, of the mothers attending the examination to discuss the well-being of their children. Secondary Schools. School Medical Officers report that the stress of duties, including in many districts extensive diphtheria immunization, has interfered with the medical inspection of secondary schools. Officers who have had the opportunity of inspecting these schools refer to the amount of acne present in a large proportion of the pupils, while other defects differ in certain respects from those found in primary schools. For instance, the percentage found with enlarged tonsils is lower than that for primary schools, while the amount of defective vision is greater. Many schools pay special attention to posture, and a School Medical Officer reports that at one school in her district special drill classes are held for those children with postural defects and poor physique ; the classes have proved to be a great success, and the improvement each year has been most marked. Dr. Wilson reports that the health of secondary-school children appears to depend to a large extent upon the keenness of the teachers on the subject of health. In some secondary schools the children appear to be in good health with clear skins, abundant energy, and good nutrition. In other schools too large a percentage with marked acne is found, a certain amount of lassitude, and indifferent nutrition. When the principal of a secondary school is keen on physical education an improvement in the posture of the pupils is noticed and they appear to be more alert mentally and physically. The Department is again indebted to local practitioners for the medical inspection of the boys of the Hutt Valley High School. Native Schools. More and more Native schools are medically examined each year, and although the percentage of children found to be suffering from skin-disease still remains far in excess of the pakeha, all School Medical Officers pay tribute to the work of the district nurses in their endeavours to cope with this condition. On the whole, however, the results of the examination disclose that the majority of the Native children are in a satisfactory state of health. Dr. Parr spent six months in the North Auckland district and states that there is a strong contrast between the physique and general nutrition of the Native children in the schools up the East Coast, and those in the west and north. In the former the children are well nourished and of good physique. On the west, the younger children are well below the average '; many are anaemic, coughs and colds are very prevalent, and chest symptoms usual. When they reach the age of eleven or twelve years the change is notable ; they put on weight and develop a physique generally better than the pakeha of the same age. Dr. Zane examined 120 children attending Native schools and found the majority very clean, tidy, and free from scabies (due to the untiring efforts of the

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