[Report 1922] / School Medical Officer, Northamptonshire County Council.

  • Northamptonshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1922
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1922] / School Medical Officer, Northamptonshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Rate per cent. 1922. 1921. 1920. 1919. 1918. Cleanliness of Head 90-22 85-88 90-53 91-77 92-49 Body. 95-49 93-21 93-46 95-46 96-56 It must be allowed that the growth of attention to this subject has insensibly raised the standard of cleanliness required by the Inspecting Staff, and this standard is in some measure accountable for the small difference between the records of the earlier and later years here recorded. More particular reference to the measures taken to improve conditions will be found under the heading of “ School Nursing,” further on in this report, and it will be seen therefrom that the Nursing Scheme, initiated in 1920, may be productive of sustained improvement in the future. (c) Nose and Throat. The total records with regard to affections of the nose and throat for the year 1922, may be con¬ veniently tabulated as follows :— Children Examined. Boys. Girls. Total. Per Cent. No defect . . 3202 3081 6283 79-68 Mouth Breathers. . 257 168 425 5-39 Tonsils slightly enlarged .. . 503 466 969 12.29 Tonsils much enlarged . 117 132 249 3.16 Adenoids, slight . . 209 210 419 5.31 Adenoids, marked . 18 26 44 0.56 The total absence of defect here noted is comparable with the percentages of 8T36 in 1921, 79*45 in 1920, and 80-64 in 1919. The rate of freedom shows, therefore, little variation in successive years, in respect of the total number of children examined ; but it must be noted that the variation in the rate for “ leavers ” during the last few years has been somewhat wider, having been 82-57 per cent, in 1922 as against 85-93 in 1921, 83-73 in 1920, and 85-66 in 1919. There is an encouraging feature, in support of the scheme for in¬ struction as to breathing exercises and nose hygiene, in that the total rate for mouth-breathers was lower for 1922 than in the three preceding years, when the rate was 6-25 per cent, in 1921, 7-77 per cent, in 1920, and 6-33 per cent, in 1919. It is gratifying to note also that, of the 167 defects referred for treatment, as shewn in Table V. of this report, 102 or 61-0 per cent, were treated.