March 6, 1919] 



NATURE 



O' 



THE HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN.^ 

 |NE feels on reading the report referred to below 

 that the nation possesses in Sir George Newman 

 a general with a plan, who, having consolidated the 

 gains of ten years' work, is pressing on to his objec- 

 tive : the prevention of disabling diseases and the 

 winning for every child of his birthright of a happy 

 and healthy childhood. Such is the impression gained 

 by a careful study of this most interesting and com- 

 prehensive report. 



In section iii. will be found the results of a typical 

 medical inspection conducted by a most competent 

 observer— Dr. C. J. Thomas, of the London County 

 Council. Two sets of three hundred unselected elder 

 children each, in typical London and country schools, 

 were inspected, and the results are described and 

 analysed. One reads with dismay that "after deduc- 

 tion of the blind, deaf, mentally and physically defec- 

 tive, and invalid children drafted to special schools or 

 absent from school, there were of the children present 

 at school 21 per cent, found to be suffering from one 

 or more serious defects ... 12 per cent, were ill- 

 nourished; 19 per cent, were unclean in body; of 

 the London children 40 per cent., and of the country 

 children 65 per cent., had some carious teeth; 11 per 

 cent, suffered from disease of nose or throat; 10 per 

 cent, had ' very serious ' defects of vision ; 6 per cent, 

 suffered froni defective hearing and 6 per cent, from 

 severe anaemia ; and of middle ear disease, of organic 

 heart disease, of skin disease, and of spinal curva- 

 ture of ' worst grade ' there were in each case 4 per 

 cent, of sufferers." 



We agree with Sir Georgei Newman's comment on 

 these grim facts: — "No one, I think, can consider 

 these findings or read Dr. Thomas's account of the 

 physical condition of these children about to leave 

 school for industrial occupations without understand- 

 ing, once and for all, the gravity of the situation." 



It is with a sense of relief one finds that a good 

 deal is being done by several education authorities to 

 remedy the defects found. There are still, however, 

 a good many C3 authorities. Most hopeful of all, 

 however, is the policy "broad and deep" which the 

 Board of Education's Chief Medical Officer, since trans- 

 lated to the Local Government Board, has all along had 

 in mind — the safeguarding of each and every child's 

 health from babyhood up to and including school-life. 

 This policy we find explained in his excellent exposition 

 of those sections of the new Education Act which deal 

 with the health of children and young persons. 



"The Act," writes Sir George, "lays emphasis upon 

 the broad fact that the purposes of the School Medical 

 Service are not the detection of defects, the discovery 

 of child-patients, and the tTeatment of such sick 

 children, but the advancement of the health and 

 physical development of the whole child population 

 of school age." 



The author of this report does not rest content with 

 a recital of first principles. He points the way to 

 their realisation. Thus we find much practical advice 

 on the teaching of hygiene and mothercraft, on the 

 control of juvenile employment, on open-air schools, 

 on physical education, on play-centres, and on holiday 

 camps. We note with pleasure his reference to the 

 cheery brotherhood of Boy Scouts. 



Everyone interested in education, and therefore in 

 our children, should study this inspiring report. Cer- 

 tainly the personnel of the School Medical Service 

 must realise that they have had as chief, not only an 

 eminent expert, but also a man of large vision, a 

 leader who reallv leads. W. E. H. 



1 Annual Report for 1917 of the Chief Medical Officer of the Board of 

 Education. (Cd. 9206.) (H.M. Stationery Otrice.) Price i^. net. 



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