AnnualReport-1927 — Page 443

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A swimming-bath in St. Paul's Girls' School has been a great addition to the health equipment of the school and good use has been made of the provision.

Teaching of Hygiene.-Student-teachers in training at the University have had a course of ten lectures on the hygiene of schools and scholars. Two practical demonstrations were well attended. The Technical Institute has given a First and Second year course in Hygiene, which is now a compulsory subject in each of the three years of training.

A course of six hygiene lectures was given at the Women's Vernacular Normal School.

Infectious Disease.-40 children were vaccinated in British Schools in spring, during a small-pox epidemic; and a large number were vaccinated by different units of the St. John Am- bulance Brigade.

Tuberculosis. No special measures are taken for the pre- vention or treatment of consumption in this colony. It is possible in a few schools to note regularly the weight of children who seem subnormal, and this gives some index to the general condition if there seems to be predisposition to tuberculosis. Here again the school nurse's visits to a few homes have been useful.

Nutrition. From the data of inspection of over 600 town boys, and over 300 town girls in British and Government Anglo- Chinese Schools and one Grant-in-Aid School, we have made out a table of Heights and Weights, comparing by graph the various lines of development. Rather unexpectedly, British Children here are above the standard for their ages at home. Larger numbers are needed to verify these results, for it is pos- sible that the earlier development of young adolescents, both mental and physical, gives a high standard which is not kept up. The result of each year will be interesting.

Office work.-Records of children found defective, cases seen by Dr. Morrison, glasses prescribed, etc. are now systematically kept. One clerk has been attached to this sub-department and he and the School Nurse have done willing and useful work, which will gradually increase.

Arrangements for medical inspections, preparation of the cards, etc. have given extra work to all heads of schools and to many of the staff, and I should like to acknowledge gratefully the help that has been given. It may be recognised now that medical work in schools is necessary and ultimately helpful, but this does not prevent medical inspection, arranging for oculists or hospital appointments, and record-keeping, from being an infliction on teachers who have already enough to do, and one is proportionately thankful to be welcomed instead of endured, in the schools.