[Report 1925] / School Medical Officer of Health, Lanark County Council.

  • Lanarkshire (Scotland). County Council.
Date:
1925
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1925] / School Medical Officer of Health, Lanark County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    As regards contagious diseases, by far the commonest found in school is impetigo, with, perhaps, catarrhal conjunctivitis second in order of frequency. As these two conditions can now be treated at the minor ailments clinics, it is hoped that the cases will receive early treatment and so avoid the prolonged periods of absence from school which the treatment frequently necessitates when the diseases are of long standing. (b) Absentee Pupils.—Increasing demands are being made on the Medical Officers’ time in connection with the examination of pupils who are absent from school for more or less prolonged periods. The lists of absentee children are, for the most part, received from the Clerks of the School Management Committees, but occasionally the lists come direct either from the Head Teacher of a school or from the Chief Attendance Officer of a district. It should be clearlv t understood that the time of the School Medical Officers cannot be largely absorbed in performing the ordinary duties of the attendance staff. Only when all the usual channels of enforcing attendance have been exhausted should the services of the medical staff be requisitioned, and even then only when a question of medical fitness is involved. When a child’s absence from school can be accounted for by reason of illness, and this is duly certified by the family doctor, it would appear to be quite unnecessary for a request to be submitted to the Authority’s medical officer to verify the family doctor’s certificate. Again, many names of absentee children are submitted to the school medical officer for special examination where no attempt has been made to obtain a certificate from the child's own doctor, although it is clearly the duty of the child’s parent to furnish such a certificate when called upon to do so. The work of the school medical staff is frequently difficult enough without having the harmonious balance with the private medical practitioner rudely disturbed, and anything savouring of officious interference between patient and medical attendant is to be strongly discountenanced. During the session requests for special examination of absentee children were received from the following School Management Committee Areas:— Old Monkland Hamilton Bothwel] New Monkland Rutherglen ... Cadder Shotts 209 79 61 58 48 43 39