London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1905

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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12
The comparison of the three groups is interesting; series A and C, fairly corresponding in the
general characters of the schools, also correspond in the measurements. Series B represents a considerably
higher average level in the social surroundings of the children, and also greater average
measurements. The next table is given for the sake of comparison; heights only are given as the weights
were proportionate. It is to be noted that the London children were measured without shoes.
The first column gives the average for all our London measurements. The second column gives
the averages from a considerable number of American measurements made in 1890-97. The classical
measurements of Boston children by Bowditch are given, and divided into two columns, non-labouring
and labouring classes, showing similar diversity to our series A and B.
Then two later sets of measurements are given. Those in Toronto, which, even when set out
in three monthly intervals, correspond almost exactly to our series B measurements. Those in Chicago,
the most recent are probably not representative of Chicago as a whole, but of better class schools,
and could be matched in London by taking a suburban group of schools. Some measurements made in
Lausanne are also given, and lastly a set made in Gohlis, a northern suburb of Leipsiz, separated from
the city by a wide natural wooded park, the "Rosenthal," and having social conditions equal to our
best group of schools, yet far below them in measurement, showing the effect, probably, of racial
characteristics.

Average heights in centimetres.

Boys.London.F. S. Boas.Bowditch.Boas.Smedley.Combe.Hasse.
Boston.
Age.American generally.Toronto.Chicago.Lausanne.Leipzig Gohlis.
Non-laboring.Laboring.
7116.0116.8117.5116.0116.8118.3117.4114.4
8120.5122.0122.2121.2121.8123.4122.2119.4
9125.2126.9127.1126.4126.7128.9126.9123.9
10129.8131.8132.5131.0131.5133.0131.3129.1
11134.3136.2136.8135.1135.9137.0134.5132.4
12138.7140.7142.1139.4140.1141.8139.8138.2
13143.3146.1147.7144.5145.4148.8144.4140.7
14148.3152.4153.8150.7151.5154.6149.0146.2
Girls.London.General American.Boston.Toronto.Chicago.Lausanne.Leipzig Gohlis.
Age./ Non.laboring.Laboring.
7115.4116.1116.3115.4116.0118.5116.3113.7
8120.2121.2121.8120.6120.7122.8121.2117.7
9124.71261127.5125.2125.3127.8126.1124.0
10129.9131.3131.3130.3130.9132.2131.0128.6
11135.0136.6136.4135.7136.1138.1136.4133.9
12140.6142.5142.7141.5141.9144.1141.9139.5
13146.7148.7149.1147.4148.0151.3147.0145.1
14152.4153.5153.2152.1153.3156.4153.0149.1

There is much of interest to learn from the analysis of these returns.
By the time children have passed their tenth birthday, accident or chance, opportunity and
ability, have distributed them all over the schools.

The ten year olds in our results were distributed as follows:—

Standards.III.III.IV.V.VI.VII.Totals
Girls Series A.20601561771276546
„ Series B.19332342519412643
Boys Series A195813415754104436
„ Series B2253183275153231710
Totals802047078604285152,335

Of these 2,335 children, representing average samples, no less than 284 have got three years
behind educationally, that is 12 per cent. of the whole are evidently not profiting as they should
from the education offered.
Taking series A alone, as the labour of reducing all the units of series B to metric measure would
be unnecessarily great, the following table gives the distribution according to height and standard.