Mexborough and Swinton Times March 13, 1936

Malnutrition at Conisborough
Education Committee Dissatisfied
Family Medical Survey Wanted

The conference which Mexborough Urban Council are to convene shortly on the subject of the undernourishment of school children was foreshadowed at yesterday’s meeting of the Conisborough Education Subcommittee, Mr H Gomersall presiding.

A report by Dr J. M. Newlands, schools medical officer, which stated that the condition of malnutrition among schoolchildren in the district was little different from what it was in 1928, was rejected by the committee as unsatisfactory. They held that no survey of schoolchildren was complete without a survey of the family’s health, and it was recommended that the county authority should take steps to make such a survey possible.

There was a further discussion on the subject of children and road safety.

Mr J. C. Macfarlane, commenting on the fact that they had no reply to their letter to the county education authority on this subject, said they should pursue the matter. The police had said that at one school in the district it was not necessary to have a man on duty. But the committee could write to the police again, saying that they were not satisfied with this reply.

Mr H Gomersall said that if extra police were necessary for the children’s safety, then they should have extra police.

Mrs Wright said there was great danger to children coming in and going out of Morley Place school.

It was decided to send a further letter to the county authority.

Further discussion also took place over the question of the malnutrition of schoolchildren. A report was read by Dr J. M. Newlands, school medical inspector, which stated that there was now considerable subnormal nutrition among the children of the Conisborough area, but the degrees of sub normality varied greatly, and the number which showed a definite degree of under feeding was definitely small. These cases had improved greatly with the double rations of milk and cod liver oil.

“In my opinion,” Dr Newman’s report stated, “One third of a pint of milk is not enough to meet the existing undernourishment among children. Two thirds of a pint of milk, or, at an absolute minimum, half a pint, is necessary to make up for the lack of first-class food in the house. Under present conditions I think this would meet the case, and that it is not necessary to supply children with daily dinners.”

The report added that the conditions of nutrition of children were very little different from what they were when the doctor started work in this area in 1928.

Apparent Increase.

The increase in the number of undernourished children in the last two or three years was only apparent, and was due to the fact that the standard adopted for judging the state of malnutrition had been greatly widened.

Mr McFarlane said parents suffered all kinds of hardship to see that their children should be fit. “I know this,” said Mr Macfarlane, “from my experience in the public assistance committee.”

Mr Gomersall said they had been told that milk could be supplied only in schools. If milk was essential to a sick child, why not supply it to the child at home?

Father Holohan said that he suggested a family medical survey and some six lines as the present housing survey. They were taking the child as a unit, and not as a member of the family. They would never have a satisfactory report on the conditions of children until all the members of the family were examined. Dr Newlands report was wrong in that it did not go out of school. It was for that reason that he moved it be considered as unsatisfactory. Knowing the conditions of the district since 1928, he could say that the report was based on a fallacy.

It was decided that the report be considered unsatisfactory, and that the county be recommended to take steps to have a family survey.