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
London County Council 1908
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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57
Nature of the Eye Defects Found.—In London it has scarcely been possible to go
Cases due to injury or corneal ulceration were omitted. The results were:
| Hyper-metropia. | Hypermetropic Astigmatism | Mixed Astigmatism. | Myopia. | Myopic Astigmatism. | Odd eyes. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers | 468 | 315 | 78 | 102 | 115 | 22 | 1100 |
| Percentage | 42.5 | 28.6 | 7.1 | 9.3 | 10.4 | 2 | 100 |
The approximation of the sex incidence in the two groups at school and at hospital is very close:—
| Sex. | Hypermetropia. | Hypermetropic Astigmatism. | Mixed Astigmatism. | Myopia. | Myopic Astigmatism. | Odd eyes. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys 482— | |||||||
| Number | 201 | 136 | 34 | 50 | 52 | 9 | 482 |
| Percentage | 417 | 28.2 | 7.0 | 10.4 | 10.5 | 20 | 100 |
| Girls, 618— | |||||||
| Number | 267 | 179 | 44 | 52 | 63 | 13 | 618 |
| Percentage | 43.2 | 29.0 | 7.1 | 8.4 | 10.2 | 21 | 100 |
The causes for this divergence in visual acuity in the sexes seem purely social. There is no
evidence that the eyes of boys and girls differ in growth. Whatever common eye conditions are investigated
a similar incidence is found, i.e. more girls than boys affected, and in each case a social influence
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