[Report 1930] / School Medical Officer, Somerset County Council.

  • Somerset Council
Date:
1930
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1930] / School Medical Officer, Somerset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    30/48 (page 28)
    I’or the i)Ui’i)Ose of calculating the incidence of defectives per l,()Of) of the school children, the number of scholars on the elementary school registers last year is estimated at -12,804. 'Die incidence calculated in this way is not strictly accurate, as normal children leave school at 14 years, while most of the defective children are retained on the Special Kegisters until 16 years of age. Blind Children. All children found or reported to be suffering from defective eyesight are referred to the County Oculist for examination, and any found to be “blind” or “partially blind” are certified accordingly. The 16 “blind” children recorded in Table 111. represent an incidence of 0.4 per 1,000; and the 62 “partially blind” children, an incidence of 1.4 per 1,000 of the school population. Admission to Blind Schools or Institutions is offered to all “blind” children, if they are of suitable age and mentally and physically fit for special education. Institutional cases on attaining the age of 16 years are offered, if suitable, further training. Special Day Classes for “2:)arfially blind” children (and the same applies to “partially deaf” children) are desirable, but their provision in a large county with scattered schools is impossible in practice. Bad-sighfed or myopic children must remain in the elementary schools, but the Head Teachers are directed how to give them oral and such other instruction as is possible without detriment to their eyesight. Deaf Children. Children reported to be deaf are specially examined, and, if necessary, certified as “deaf” or “i)artially deaf.” All “deaf” children are sent to certified Deaf Schools or Institutions, if they are of suitable age and mentally and physically fit f<.>r special education. The 31 “deaf” and 7 '■])artially deaf” children recorded in Table 111. represent an incidence of 0.7 and 0.2 [)er 1,000 respectively of the school population. Mentally Defective Children. At the end of IU20 the Special llegisler contained the names of 304 feeble-minded children—183 boys and 121 gills. During the past year 30 boj's and 2;j girls, a total of 64 children, were cert Hied as feeble-minded and their names added to the llegisti'r, while* the names of 3)7 boys and 32 girls, a total oif 6)t), were removed owing to the children ha\ing attained the age of 16 years, left the County, died, or been re-grailed; leaving a net total of 2t)0 feeble-minded children (18d boys and IJ4 girls) on the Special Ivrgister at the end of 1030.