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The findings of the pre-school medical examinations show a slight but fairly general improvement on those of the previous year. There is less malnutrition, reduced dental caries, and healthier noses and throats. Mothers still need a lot of help on the training and mothercraft side—for example, one pre-school child in every ten has a bad food habit, and a further one in each twenty has some other bad habit. These result from faulty training and lack of knowledge in the home. One of the valuable functions of the preschool clinic is the opportunity it affords of discussing feeding and training difficulties with mothers, and of giving advice and reassurance on these matters. Another value of the clinic is its very real worth as a means of obtaining early treatment of defects, and of having the child as fit as possible as it enters school life. Table 17 —The Medical State of Pre-school Children Number. Per Cent. Number of children seen .. .. .. .. 11,250 Defects — Uncleanliness .. .. .. .. .. 91 0-80 Subnormal Nutrition .. .. .. .. 758 6-7 Protuberant Abdomen .. .. .. .. 281 2-4 Posture defective .. .. .. 238 2 -1 Deformities — Chest .. .. .. .. .. 256 2-2 Legs .. .. .. .. .. 793 7-0 Feet .. .. .. .. .. 1,060 9-4 Skin disease .. . . .. .. . 562 4 • 9 Heart .. .. .. .. .. .. 177 3-1 Lungs .. .. .. .. .. .. 89 0-79 Dental — Gums and soft tissue .. .. .. .. 84 0-74 Dental caries .. .. .. .. 838 7-4 Nose and throat — Adenoids .. .. .. .. .. 299 2 • 6 Tonsils .. .. .. .. .. 886 7-8 Goitre . . .. .. .. .. .. 56 0-49 EyesExternal disease .. .. .. . . 140 1 • 2 Defective vision .. .. .. .. 80 0-71 Ears — Otorrhoea .. .. .. .. .. 24 0-21 Deafness .. .. .. . . .. 17 0-15 Phimosis .. .. .. .. .. 54 0-48 Undescended testicles .. .. .. .. 152 1-3 Hernia .. .. .. .. .. .. 52 0-46 Habit abnormalities — Bad food habits .. .. .. .. 1,129 10-03 Other bad habits .. .. .. .. 672 5-9 Bowel action abnormality .. .. .. 171 1 • 5 Eneuresis .. .. .. .. .. 449 3-91 Insufficient daytime rest .. .. .. .. 440 3-91 Insufficient sleep .. .. .. .. 418 3 • 71 The Medical State of Secondary-school Children During the year the medical inspection of 2,005 secondary-school children was effected at the School Certificate age-level only, when officers could find the time, restriction to this age group being due to our shortages of medical staff. Wherever this work was undertaken, the Principals and staff were enthusiastic and co-operative, and the Department hopes to expand this work as staff increases. The girls particularly appeared to welcome the opportunity of getting advice on many minor problems which parents consider too trivial for their own medical practitioner. The general standard of

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