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 1927
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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there were 1,934 children who had been absent for over three months, 897 boys and
1,037 girls. Heart disease and rheumatism falls more heavily on the girls, especially
at ages over 10. Only 27 children were noted as absent on account of ringworm.
There is also a diminution in the number of cases of chronic ear disease, 55 against
68 and 71 in the two previous years, due probably to the larger number of cases
treated by ionisation. The passing of ringworm as a serious cause of continued
absence from school is one of the conspicuous results of the work of the school
nurses in the schools. The rheumatic group of diseases remains by far the chief
cause of chronic invalidity, and becomes more prominent each year owing to the
elimination or mitigation of the effects of other causes through appropriate measures.
The lessened number of children noted year by year as chronically absent from
school is another proof of the improving health of the child population.
Three months out-of-school cases—November, 1927. Reasons for absence (grouped) and percentage of total.
| Boys. | % | Girls. | % | Total. | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rheumatism, heart and chorea | 191 | 20.5 | 317 | 29.6 | 508 | 25.3 |
| Nervous disorders | 107 | 11.5 | 100 | 9.3 | 207 | 10.3 |
| Tuberculosis (pulmonary and others) | 127 | 13.6 | 107 | 10.0 | 234 | 11.7 |
| Anaemia and debility | 62 | 6.6 | 73 | 6.8 | 135 | 6.7 |
| Ringworm | 11 | 1.2 | 16 | 1.5 | 27 | 1.4 |
| Skin diseases (excluding ringworm) | 29 | 31 | 34 | 3.2 | 63 | 3.1 |
| Eye diseases | 33 | 3.5 | 43 | 4.0 | 76 | 3.8 |
| Infections diseases | 46 | 5.0 | 54 | 5.0 | 100 | 50 |
| Other defects | 328 | 35.0 | 328 | 30.6 | 656 | 32.7 |
| Total | 934 | - | 1,072 | — | 2,006 | - |
Comparison between 1927 and three previous years.
| Complaint. | Children. | Percentage ot total. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924. | 1925. | 1926. | 1927. | 1924. | 1925. | 1926. | 1927. | |
| Rheumatism, heart and chorea | 672 | 614 | 537 | 508 | 25.02 | 24.71 | 23.98 | 25.32 |
| Nervous disorders | 288 | 268 | 249 | 207 | 10.72 | 10.78 | 11.12 | 10.32 |
| Tuberculosis (all forms) | 399 | 322 | 268 | 234 | 14.86 | 12.96 | 11.97 | 11.66 |
| Anaemia and debility | 201 | 196 | 169 | 135 | 7.48 | 7.89 | 7.55 | 6.73 |
| Ringworm | 85 | 81 | 27 | 27 | 316 | 3.26 | 1.21 | 1.35 |
| Skin diseases (excluding ringworm) | 78 | 72 | 62 | 63 | 2.83 | 2.90 | 2.77 | 3.14 |
| Eye complaints | 135 | 103 | 92 | 76 | 5.03 | 4.14 | 4.11 | 3.79 |
| Infectious diseases (including encephalitis lethargica | 98 | 92 | 103 | 100 | 3.65 | 3.70 | 4.60 | 4.98 |
| Other diseases | 732 | 737 | 732 | 656 | 27.25 | 29.66 | 32.69 | 32.71 |
| Total (all complaints) Number of children | 2,686 2.608 | 2,485 2,398 | 2,239 2,130 | 2,006 1,934 | ||||
Medical Treatment.
At the end of the year 1927 there were 12 hospitals and 68 centres included in
the Council's medical treatment scheme in addition to the dental centre at Bushy
Camp School. The provision made for the several ailments and the numbers treated
during the year were as follows:—
Provision
made in
Numbers
treated
Numbers
treated
Ailment. 1927. 1927. 1926.
Defective vision 36,150 40,293 37,985
Ear, nose and throat disease 15,120 18,176 16,168
Ringworm 1,312 644 844
Minor ailments 72,655 99,766 89,709
Dental defects 128,370 124,992 113,932
Total 253,607 283,871 258,638