Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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reference are set out in the following statements:—
Ages of children referred. | Ages of children referred. | |
---|---|---|
4 years | 3 | 13 years 13 |
5 „ | 4 | 14 „ 28 |
6 „ | 9 | 15 „ 5 |
7 „ | 13 | 16 „ 1 |
8 „ | 13 | 17 „ 1 |
9 „ | 20 | Others (? age) 5 |
11 | 17 | 156 |
11 „ | 18 | |
12 „ | 6 |
*Head teachers | 59 |
School doctors | 29 |
*Care committees | 21 |
Parents | 15 |
Children's courts | 5 |
Hospitals | 4 |
Private doctors | 2 |
Invalid Children's Aid Association | 2 |
Other sources | 19 |
156 |
* In many of these cases reference was as a result of consultations between head teachers and care committees.
Nervousness | 35 | Masturbation and sex troubles | 2 |
Theft | 25 | Sleeplessness | 2 |
Stammer and speech defects | 17 | Inferiority | 1 |
Backwardness | 16 | Night terrors | 1 |
Spitefulness | 12 | Morbid religious mania | 1 |
Enuresis | 11 | Dizziness | 1 |
Behaviour in school | 10 | Not known | 3 |
„ at home | 9 | Total | 156 |
Truancy | 8 | ||
Wandering | 2 |
[Note.—One child may be referred for more than one reason, but the major
reason only has been included in the table.]
Reports on the individual treatment of some 84 of the cases have been received
and in a great number of cases progress reports have been obtained from the school
care committees and head teachers. In the majority of cases improvement had
been noted, and seven cases had been satisfactorily dealt with and discharged; 12
cases were, however, discharged owing to refusal of parents to co-operate or to
unsuitability for treatment at the clinic, etc.
In addition to the actual clinical work the officers of the clinics have by lectures,
demonstrations and case conferences done much to attract local attention to the
value of mental hygiene and to the importance of dealing with children's problems
at the earliest moment before any deviations of behaviour have received an unfortunate
reinforcement by the influence of habit. Interest has been aroused in
educational and social circles so that a considerable development of the activities
may be anticipated in the coming year.
Admission
examinations.
Defective Children.
The total number of examinations conducted under the Education Act during
the year was 24,560.
6,015 examinations with a view to admission to special schools were conducted,
f 1