[Report 1933] School Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County.

  • Canterbury (England). City & County Council.
Date:
1933
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1933] School Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/34 (page 9)
    School children are certified as feeble-minded under the Education Acts and it should be understood that a proportion of these certified as feeble-minded during school life will not necessarily be certifiable under the Mental Deficiency Acts when they reach the age of 16 years. Much then depends upon the amount of temperamental defect, if any, and the child's capacity to earn a living and to fit normally into the environment to which he or she has been born. A few children from Canterbury are in attendance at Residential Special Schools and a certain number of the lower grade cases (although they are not Imbecile) attend the Occupation Centre, owing to the absence of a Day Special School in the neighbourhood. DUEL AND BACKWARD CHILDREN. The proportion of Dull and Backward children one would expect to find in Canterbury is about from 8% to 10% of the school population. This proportion is that found in similar areas and in the Report of the Joint Committee (1929) of the Board of Education and the Board of Control. On this basis with a school population of about 3,119 there are from 249 to 312 Dull and Backward children in the City. These children are not suitable for Special Schools but the ordinary school curriculum should be modified for their needs. DELICATE (including Rheumatic) CHILDREN. In accordance with the instructions of the Board of Education the return of Delicate children in the area, noted in Table III. at the end of this report, includes children suffering from Rheumatism, although I do not consider such children always suitable for an Open-Air School. Records are kept both of Delicate children in the area, suit- able for an Open-Air School and of children exhibiting signs and symptons of Rheumatism (even though slight) thus :— Boys Girls Total Rheumatic children ... ... 12 25 37 Delicate children ... ... 24 20 44 (Suitable for Open-Air School) Rheumatism in children may show itself under many guises, such as instability of the nervous system, anaemia, and so-called “ Growing pains,” in addition to definitely attacking the joints. Repeated attacks may damage the heart and nervous system (Chorea) unless great care, especially adequate rest and quiet, is taken. Cases of Chorea appear to be very rare in Canterbury.