London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Wandsworth 1966
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]
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in children of all ages continue to present difficulties. To solve a
behaviour problem is often an exacting task, demanding intensive
application of medical and educational resources.
Routine general medical inspections during 1966 totalled 17,289,
compared with 17,464 in 1965. Of the 17,289 children inspected,
14.9 per cent were referred for treatment of defects, 7.5 per cent
being referred for treatment of defects other than vision. The
corresponding percentages for 1965 were 12.9 and 6.1 respectively.
The following table shows the number of children referred for treatment or observation of the defects listed at routine general medical inspections for the year 1966, expressed as a rate per 1,000 children inspected, together with the corresponding rates for 1965.
| Numbers examined | 1965 | 1966 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17,464 | 17,289 | |||
| Rate per thousand Treatment Observation Treatment Observation | ||||
| Skin diseases | 6.99 | 4.75 | 10.70 | 7.17 |
| Eyes—vision | 74.50 | 66.02 | 80.22 | 59.57 |
| squint | 5.04 | 7.27 | 6.30 | 6.88 |
| other | 2.29 | 1.83 | 1.68 | 2.54 |
| Defective hearing | 4.81 | 15.00 | 5.67 | 11.92 |
| Otitis media | 1.49 | 3.72 | 1.79 | 4.34 |
| Enlarged tonsils and adenoids | 8.76 | 31.95 | 7.81 | 25.16 |
| Defective speech | 2.00 | 8.93 | 3.64 | 10.47 |
| Enlarged cervical glands | 0.34 | 4.58 | 0.46 | 4.92 |
| Heart and circulation | 1.15 | 13.34 | 1.91 | 13.19 |
| Lung diseases other than tuberculosis | 2.86 | 13.97 | 4.40 | 13.94 |
| Orthopaedic defects | 11.56 | 26.91 | 9.89 | 26.31 |
| Defects of nervous system | 1.32 | 4.87 | 1.91 | 3.54 |
| Psychological defects | 2.35 | 8.13 | 3.42 | 11.86 |
| Developmental—hernia | 1.09 | 1.78 | 0.46 | 1.85 |
| other | 1.03 | 5.21 | 0.92 | 7.40 |
| Abdomen | 0.17 | 0.97 | 0.52 | 1.04 |
Details of non-routine medical inspections carried out in 1965
and 1966 are given below :— 1955 1955
Reinspections 9,007 9,441
Secondary school annual surveys 174 140
Other non-routine inspections 5,625 5,992
(see table overleaf)
7-plus experimental scheme inspections 122 98
Total 14,928 15,671
Total routine and non-routine inspections 32,392 32,960