Care of School Children.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 July 1921, Page 3

Care of School Children.

On the subject of the medical examination and care of school children, Dr Wilkins, chief schools medical officer, addressed the members ol the Wellington Education Bottl'd tit the monthly meeting. He said be considered that a system should be inaugurated whereby a monthly report on the physical condition of school children should he sent tthe board. In Shropshire, England, ti e dental examination scheme laid been iiitrodiKa(l with excellent lesitits. Just prior to the war only five per cent ol the ehil Iren had a full set of good teeth, hut lour years after the iutto !" •

the scheme, during the war period, the percentage had risen to 41 per cent. {in,, of La; most prominent factors in the remarkable elevation was attributable to the study of diet. “Study, remarked the (lector, “il they can do that in four years in England, they can do it i:i New Zealand.” lie went on to

,ay that it took really a tremendous amount of work ; one could hardly realise the magnitude of the undertaking. One of the greatest means of securing their objective was by publicity. The newspaper was ;i splendid channel in bringing the matter convincingly before the public. In the future school officers could give lectures, illustrated by lantern slides, and even introduce the cinema into the schools. Dr \\ ilkin ' explained that before much good could be effectively done, the personal habits of the people must he altered. Dental treatment, after all was only patchwork, mid it was desired to bring children up in such a manner that treatment would

not be necessary. In answering a question put by Mr Penny in regard to the ( barges made for treatment, the doctor said the treatment was not compulsory, but the parents had made a good r - spouse to the idea. The system ol Deo treatment did not appear to he so largely used in other countries. It had seemed that the more [ample paid for the treatment, the better they bad appreciated it. It did not follow that because the medical examination was free that the medical treatment would also lie gratis. It was a matter under consideration though, that children should lie given free travelling [lasses to the nearest place lot treatment. In referring to the liability of children to contract disease and sores from one another »t. school and various other delects, Dr Wilkinststated that the delects in' children were not altogether due to the desks. Some children were extremely susceptible to deformities, whereas .others were immune and were not affected by th- desk u Dietm de-fieian-T' ,-re f l '.' 'so of A great iran • TnentL