[Report 1967] / School Medical Officer of Health, Blackburn County Borough.

  • Blackburn (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1967
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1967] / School Medical Officer of Health, Blackburn County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/52 (page 8)
    The Inter-departmental Committee made a number of recommendations some of which were embodied in legislation, for example :— (1) the systematic medical examination of children at school to be imposed as a statutory duty on every school authority. (2) Provision for the feeding of school children by local authorities. (3) Systematic dental examination and lessons in the care of the teeth. (4) Instruction to older girls in cookery, hygiene and domestic economy. (5) Instruction to older girls in the processes of infant feeding and management. The first result of the recommendations was the passing of the Education (Provision of Meals) Act, 1906, which authorised local education authorities to associate themselves with any voluntary committee which would undertake to supply food or to provide themselves meals up to the value of a Jd. rate. The Education (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1907, envisaged the development of a full medical inspection service and the organisation of a medical department at the central offices of the Board of Education. A code of regulations was produced and by 1912 arrangements were made in public elementary schools for the medical inspection of the entrant and leaver groups. At the same time it was the practice to examine any children referred by the teachers at the time of the doctor’s visits. Many foresighted authorities made arrangements on a voluntary basis for doctors also to attend secondary schools. For the first time a vast amount of information not available from any other sources about the physical condition of children aged 5-14 years was sifted and analysed, and principles were established for executive action to correct defects either incipient or apparent and the beginnings of ‘preventive’ personal health emerged. Many morbid conditions were discovered and dealt with, such as heart disease, rickets, rheumatism, tuberculosis, malnutri- tion, defective vision, etc., and in 1912 the Board of Education issued regula- tions to link medical treatment of a limited nature with diagnosis as a per- missive duty of local authorities. The school dental service was given a firm bias in favour of conservative and constructive preventive work. Within a year or two special schools were being established to cope with special defects, e.g., the blind and partially-sighted, the deaf and epileptic, etc., and particular attention was given to providing appropriate education for mentally retarded children in special schools with classes of limited size and training by repetitive manual handwork, sense training, and learning by doing. The development of open-air schools went ahead at which fresh air, sunlight, sufficient diet, daily rest, attention to personal hygiene, physio- therapy, etc. were available for debilitated, anaemic or undernourished children.