§ Mr. ROWNTREEasked the President of the Board of Education if he can state the approximate number of children in the elementary schools under the control of local education authorities who have not exercised their power to provide medical treatment; whether he can state the approximate percentage of children in these schools suffering from the following defects: Defect of vision, defect of hearing, ear disease, adenoids or enlarged tonsils, injurious decay of the teeth, un-cleanliness of body, ringworm of the head, tuberculosis, heart disease, and malnutrition; and whether he can state the approximate number of children in these schools suffering from these defects?
§ Mr. HERBERT FISHERThe approximate number of children in elementary schools under the control of local education authorities who had not in 1916 provided any facilities for medical treatment is about 500,000. The Board are not in a position to give percentages of defects for these particular areas, but from an investigation made in 1915 of the figures given in the school medical officers' reports for ninety areas of the defects found among children at the routine inspections conducted by the staff of the School Medical Service it appeared that the percentages of defects were roughly as set out below. The Board have no reason to suppose that these percentages have materially altered. 2231W In the case of vision the figures were based on the inspections in thirty-four areas, and for tuberculosis in fifty-two areas.
Percentage Defective Defect of Vision 17 Defect of Hearing 11 Ear Disease 2.5 Disease of Nose and Throat (adenoids and enlarged tonsils) 20 Dental Disease 70 Uncleanliness of Body 6 Skin Disease, including Ring worm of the Head 1.8 Disease of Heart and Circulation 3.5 Malnutrition 13 Tuberculosis .5 It should not be assumed that the field within which treatment should or could appropriately be provided by local education authorities is co-extensive with the field of ascertained defect.
§ Mr. ROWNTREEasked the President of the Board of Education how many of the local education authorities have exercised their power, under sanction of the Board, for the creation of machinery or facilities for the provision of medical treatment and how many have not done so?
§ Mr. FISHERThe number of local education authorities who, during 1916, provided facilities for one or more forms of treatment was 276. The number providing no facilities was 43.