CHILDREN'S HEALTH.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 20 August 1913, Page 5

CHILDREN'S HEALTH.

« MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS. VIEWS OF AN EXPERT, Last night Mr. G. llogben (luspectcirGeneral c-f Schools) addressed the Eugenics Education Society oil the subject of the medical inspection of school children.. Professor Pickcn presided. Dealing' with the educational aspect of tho subject, the lecturer dwelt oai the necessity ol ascertaining tho intellectual equipment of- the individual. J'ormei'iy, lie. went on, the mass of file people got much more open-air 'exorcise than the people, of to-day get. Also, the amount of .bodily exercise done had taiicn oil', this .through the. introduction of machinery. To-day, school work occupied perhaps seven to eight hours of every 24 hours, which was it much greater length of time than had been devoted to study in the past. Many of tho delects existing in school children were it-movable, but could only he discovered by medical inspection. Not one city had been Planned with tho object of the rearing of hsalthy children in view, though

"every other. crop had been provided for." It was the duity of the Stato to take oog-jiisahco of tho physical welfare of its citizens. American school statistics showed the following defect percentages:—Eyesight 30, hearing 5, teeth at least 60, swollen tonsils 25, adenoids and breathings 12 to 15. A complete medical examination of school children had first bsetn introduced in Wiesbaden (Germany) in 18S9, though, something in the direction had been done at various times since 1833. Tho detection of defects and the attempts to rkht them would not bear the full ijossible results if the teachers did .not do their part; it was little use treating the boy wlro was deaf in tho right ear if tho-teacher placed him at tho left end of the class. It was tho education authorities alone who could follow t!ho child from sohool to school, from class to class, from year to year. Therefore, the teachers must co-operate with tlio medical inspector. Mr. Hcgbe.n exhilyited the. cards and forms recently issued to the teachers in New Zealand schools, and said that a very "importaiiit duty of tho medical inspectors lor son'je time would be to- guide tho teachers; and it would be a' good thing to hold parents' meetings occasionally for the purpose of instruction. Tlio plan was to advise parents to take children to their own physicians. So far, only a beginning had been made. For a complete system an increased number of inspectors was required. The cards, ho said, provided for throe examinations during school time, and for the bringing of special cases under tho notice of tho medical inspector at any time.

Mr. Hogbon was accorded a vote of thanks.