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213. In practice the Sanitary Department report on the con- dition of the house and if declared sanitary the Secretary of Chinese Affairs, if he be satisfied, registers it and licenses the keeper.
214. As mentioned above Boarding House include a Common Lodging House. Over 700 Chinese Boarding House licences have been issued by the Secretary for Chinese Affairs. They vary in class from 3rd class lodging houses to 1st class hotels,
School Hygiene.
215. According to the Census the number of persons between five and fifteen years of age was 141,709. The number of schools under inspection by the Education Department was 1,063 and the number of school children 57,301.
216. The School Inspection Branch of the Medical Depart- ment consists of:-
Lady Medical Officer
Chinese Medical Officer
School Nurses
1
3
217.
>
Class of School. No. Government Schools (English) 161 20
(Vernacular) 4f
No. of Pupils on roll.
5,245
11
Grant in aid Schools (English) 12)
(Vernacular) 4= 302 Subsidised Schools (Vernacular) 296) Unaided Schools (English)
24,498
1201
27,558
"
(Vernacular)
617J
Total
.1,059
57,301
218. Schools inspected
1932
17
1931
Entrants examined
..1,078
21 1,525
Defects found
581
706
Per cent defects in British Schools.... 85.7 Per cent defects in Anglo-Chinese
46.4
Schools
53.9
46.9
Reinspection of Children found to be defective.
Class of School. Year reinspected, improved. improved.
No.
No.
Percentage
British
.1932
121
47
38.8 per cent.
.1931
140
65
46.4
Anglo-Chinese
.1932
943
519
55.03
...1931
1,354
633
46.07 "
71
53
219. In Hong Kong as elsewhere the School Medical Officers found their work greatly handicapped by the absence of school clinics where those who could not afford the services of a private practitioner and who required treatment could receive the neces- sary attention. Cards to hospitals and Chinese Public Dispen- saries did not meet the case. The children either did not attend or if they did attend refrained from making a second visit. The reasons for failure to take advantage of the opportunity of obtain- ing free advice and treatment are several. The natural dis- inclination of the ordinary child to go alone to a hospital or dis- pensary, the lack of sympathy shown by the average Hospital subordinate unless tipped, the time taken up in transport and waiting for one's turn to be seen are all factors which tend to make the practice of treatment of school children at hospitals and Chinese Public Dispensaries a failure,
220. To have any chance of success the child must be treated in a clinic, conveniently situated, by the doctor and the nurse whom he knows and in whom he has confidence.
221. It was this situation which stimulated the school medi. cal officer to move for the creation of school clinics. In Sept. ember 1931 a small room at the Ellis Kadorie School in the centre of the City of Victoria was fitted up as a minor ailment clinic. The use of the clinic was open to scholars from any school but it was soon found that, as a rule, it was attended only by those from schools within a comparatively short radius. Time and expense of transport prevented its use by those further afield. In October 1932 the second It was no use at all to Kowloon. clinic was started at Yaumati School in Kowloon.
222. The paucity of the Medical Staff prevented full use The Ellis Kadoorie Clinic was open being made of the clinics. two mornings a week for any case attending; on Tuesday after- noons it was reserved for chest cases, and on Friday afternoons for ear cases. The Yaunati Clinic was open on Thursday after- noons only.
223. Altogether 1,286 examinations or treatments have been given at Ellis Kadoorie and 195 at Yaumati. The Clinic entailed an increase in the number of cases to be visited by nurses.
224. The largest percentage of defect is that of vision. Vision is tested on entry to school and in Class 5. Among en- trants 1,037 have been tested, of which 20 per cent showed slight In Class 5 there were defects and 13 per cent serious defects. 477 examined with 16 per cent slight and 12 per cent serious defects. Among scholarship holders there were 11.26 per cent of serious defects.
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