THE HUNTLY PRESS PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT 1 P.M. Friday, March 13, 1914. Notes and Comments.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 6, 13 March 1914, Page 2

THE HUNTLY PRESS PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT 1 P.M. Friday, March 13, 1914. Notes and Comments.

THE accident that happened a nin-,iri ,„nn tlieother dayal school to a little boy, who either fell from, or was pushed off, a seat in the shelter shed, shows how necessary it is that those in charge either* oJ children or of adults should possess a bowing' acquaintance, at least, with First Aid, or should in almost every emergency act upon the advice repeated in the various text books with almost sickening ,i tv ration —“ Send al once for a, viowor.” When doctors so often differ in their diagnosis, how can a layman expect, even where apparently trivial injuries are concerned, to locate a trouble and provide the proper remedy at a time when excitement, running high, has a tendency to obfuscate

the reasoning faculties? The tests for fractures, and the symptoms of troubles of almost everyday occurrence, with the handiest means oi rendering temporary aid, are matters that are easily taught to the observant and assiduous student by duly qualified men who, knowing the dangers attendent on the best meant efforts of amateur practitioners, insist that when all has been done to render the patient as comfortable as possible, medical aid should be invoked without loss of time. While the possession of a First Aid certificate does not imply that its possessor lias the qualifications of a skilled physician or surgeon, the holder of such certificate should know that it is only those who have given years of study under skilled professors to the acquisition of medical or surgical knowledge' that can appreciate the delicacy of the various parts that go to make up the human organism. Whatever means are adopted to give ambulance students a knowledge of the body and of its manifold and various organs are well worthy of support, and it is to be hoped that by the co-operation of the local medical men, of the teachers in the public school, and of the members of the school committee, successful classes will be initiated j and such knowledge acquired as | will prove the necessity of I invoking skilled assistance to I remedy any defects in, or complete the efforts of those who render first aid. Just as whist players insist on their partners playing trumps when in doubt, so the first and last principle to dominate ambulance students should be—“ln all cases, whether in doubt or not, summon the doctor.” THE directors of the School of Mines are to be congratulated upon the Of Kliccess that has atM “j [ * tended their efforts jYUN'Iib. su ppiy those, who desire promotion in the occupation they have chosen, with the educational facilities necessary to that end. By the appointment of a director possessing high technical qualifications, the provision, in the immediate future, of a building' suitable for the purpose, and the acquisition of the nucleus of a library containing the latest books of reference, the council has done its part and it is now “ up to ” the young men to take the fullest advantage of the means that lead to the higher positions in the mining world, and to show by a large attendance their appreciation of the facilities brought within easy reach. While not losing sight of the importance to the town of the mining industry, the school would not suffer if there were included in the curriculum commercial subjects, such as English, book-keeping, shorthand and typewriting, which, by appealing to those in shops and offices, would also enable them to obtain at home the knowledge that opens the doors leading to better and more remunerative billets. School medical work is the TR °l ß 7nn B buUty°Bl ueßook I issued by the C.IULDRLN. BoarJ of Eduoa _ tion in the form of the annual report of the Board’s chief medical officer, Sir George Newman. After six years of systematic school hygiene, mainly occupied with administrative and organising work, the medical department of the Board is able to report that all the 317 local educational authorities have now in being the machinery necessary to the medical inspection of school children. There are more than 1,000 school doctors at work, upwards of 700 school nurses, and many professional and voluntary workers. “ When we come to inquire into the results of medical inspection,” says Sir George Newman, “we find a large amount of disease present among children of school age. Speaking generally, it may be said that out of the six million children registered on the books of the public elementary schools of England and Wales about 10 per cent, suffer from serious defects of vision; from 1 to 3 per cent, from defective hearing ; 1 to 3 per cent have suppurating ears ; about 10 per cent have adenoids, inflamed tonsils, or enlarged cervical glands requiring surgical treatment ; about 1 per cent have ringworm ; 1 per cent suffer from tuberculosis of readily recognisable form ; from one to two per cent, are affected with heart disease ; from 30 to 40 per cent have unclean heads or bodies, and probbably more than half the children are in need of dental treatment,” These percentages do not include children invalided from school, or the blind, deaf, or mentally defective, for which class there are 350 special fiiP.lirvnls