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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Table II. (a) Defects found at medical inspections in 1930. Elementary and special schools.
Disease or defect. | Routine inspections—Defects. | Special inspections. —Defects. | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Requiring treatment. | Requiring observation. | Requiring treat - | Requiring obser | |||||
ES. | s.s. | E.S. | s. | S. | ment. | vation. | ||
Malnutrition | 888 | 6 | 802 | 2 | 429 | 179 | ||
Skin—Ring-worm, head | — | - | — | — | 21 | 7 | ||
body | 38 | 1 | 1 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
Scabies | 84 | 2 | — | — | 445 | 329 | ||
Impetigo | 238 | 3 | 2 | _ | 458 | 200 | ||
Other disease (non-T.B.) | 880 | 12 | 90 | _ | 819 | 105 | ||
Eye—Blepharitis | 838 | 3 | 72 | _ | 333 | 24 | ||
Conjunctivitis | 219 | 3 | 12 | — | 249 | 17 | ||
Keratitis | 3 | — | 1 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
Corneal opacities | 11 | — | 8 | — | 35 | 15 | ||
Defective vision, excluding squint | 17,211 | 150 | 5,759 | 54 | 4,133 | 499 | ||
Squint | 1,292 | 12 | 337 | — | 671 | 55 | ||
Other conditions | 204 | 4 | 57 | — | 237 | 35 | ||
Ear—Defective hearing | 260 | 12 | 157 | 1 | 249 | 121 | ||
Otitis media | 1,298 | 24 | 392 | 6 | 792 | 163 | ||
Other ear disease or defect | 562 | 5 | 108 | 1 | 308 | 68 | ||
Nose and throat—Enlarged tonsils | 8,999 | 26 | 7,834 | 9 | 2,807 | 576 | ||
Adenoids | 898 | 6 | 517 | — | 439 | 85 | ||
Enlarged tonsils and adenoids | 2,714 | 9 | 903 | — | 921 | 65 | ||
Other conditions | 811 | 4 | 253 | 1 | 473 | 193 | ||
Enlarged cervical glands | 405 | — | 1,316 | 3 | 256 | 257 | ||
Defective speech | 110 | - | 182 | 2 | 148 | 72 | ||
Teeth—Dental disease or defect | 66,194 | 401 | 962 | 10 | 5,478 | 90 | ||
Heart and circulation— Heart disease—Organic | 33 | - | 111 | _ | 6 | 3 | ||
Functional | 28 | — | 284 | — | 2 | 3 | ||
Not stated | 226 | 1 | 2,939 | 20 | 464 | 885 | ||
Anaemia | 829 | 2 | 646 | 3 | 732 | 291 | ||
Lungs—Bronchitis | 944 | 2 | 1,121 | 2 | 323 | 159 | ||
Other non-tubercular | 255 | 3 | 628 | - | 208 | 262 | ||
Tuberculosis—Pulmonary definite | 2 | — | 2 | - | 5 | 2 | ||
„ suspected | 10 | — | 51 | - | 28 | 125 | ||
Glands | 7 | — | 4 | — | 28 | 13 | ||
Spine | — | — | - | - | 3 | 3 | ||
Hip | 2 | — | 1 | - | 2 | 5 | ||
Bones ana joints | 4 | — | 5 | - | 6 | 3 | ||
Skin | 5 | — | 1 | - | 7 | 1 | ||
Other forms | 5 | — | 5 | - | 15 | 17 | ||
Nervous—Epilepsy | 21 | 2 | 27 | - | 127 | 86 | ||
Chorea | 84 | 121 | - | 246 | 156 | |||
Paralysis | 15 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 192 | 147 | ||
Other conditions | 169 | 3 | 222 | - | — | — | ||
Deformities—Rickets | 46 | — | 35 | - | 52 | 25 | ||
Spinal curvature | 695 | 10 | 224 | 2 | 196 | 47 | ||
Other | 583 | 4 | 312 | — | 217 | 57 | ||
Other conditions | 2,833 | 16 | 1,387 | 2 | 3,900 including 687 mental defects | 1,256 including 235 mental defects | ||
Age group. | Inspected. | Found to require treatment. | Percentage requiring treatment. | |||||
Entrants | 64,632 | 10,856 | 16.8 | |||||
Age 8 | 61,068 | 12,543 | 20.5 | |||||
Age 12 | 42,548 | 8,808 | 20.7 | |||||
Leavers (age 13}) | 48,605 | 8,486 | 17.5 | |||||
Total elementary schools | 216,853 | 40,693 | 18.8 | |||||
Special schools | 1,605 | 296* | 18.4 |
*Not including special defects for which the children are in special schools.