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 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The age distribution was as follows :—under 5 years of age, 2 ; between 5 and 14 years of age, 118 ; over 14 years, 1.
| School doctors | 48 | Theft | 16 |
| Head teachers | 10 | Nervousness, excitability, restlessness, depression | 55 |
| Care committees | 11 | ||
| Hospitals and clinics | 12 | Backwardness | 20 |
| Parents | 12 | Enuresis | 19 |
| Private doctors | 3 | Beyond parental control | 23 |
| Children's courts | 13 | Unmanageable at school | 6 |
| Probation officers and various agencies | 12 | Aggressive, spiteful | 13 |
| Total | 121 | Night terrors, sleep walking | 13 |
| Stammering and other speech difficulties | 20 | ||
| Temper tantrums | 4 | ||
| N.B,—In addition there were 39 cases dealt with which had commenced treatment during 1932. | Lack of concentration | 2 | |
| Headache | 2 | ||
| Habit spasm | 5 | ||
| Truancy | 5 | ||
| Wandering | 1 | ||
| Solitary | 3 | ||
| Masturbation and sex difficulties | 2 | ||
| Reading disability | 1 | ||
| Food fads | 2 | ||
| Breathing difficulty | 1 | ||
| Cyclic vomiting | 1 | ||
| Photophobia | 1 | ||
| Temporary lapses of consciousness | 1 | ||
| N.B.—One child may be referred for more than one reason. | |||
The results of treatment were as follows:—
| Satisfactorily adjusted | 50 |
| Partially adjusted | 31 |
| Unadjusted or unsuitable | *47 |
| Still under treatment ... ...... | 88 |
*18 were found to be of low intelligence, either border-line cases or actually mentally
defective, 4 were transferred elsewhere.
Maudsley
hospital
guidance
clinic.
The work at the guidance clinic organised at the Maudsley hospital has continued under the direction of Dr. Mapother. The school care committees and head teachers have co-operated in supplying information to the clinic and in carrying out recommendations in regard to the treatment of many of the cases. During the year 293 children of school age were dealt with, of whom 168 were boys and 125 girls.
| Care committees | 113 | Nervousness | 18 |
| School authorities (other than care committees) | 40 | Behaviour disorders | 61 |
| Enuresis | 38 | ||
| Spontaneous | 38 | Anxiety state | 32 |
| Hospitals | 37 | Backwardness | 16 |
| Private doctors | 17 | Stealing | 16 |
| Probation officers | 12 | Constitutional anxiety | 12 |
| Maudsley hospital (other departments) | 20 | Stammering | 8 |
| Other sources | 16 | Hysterical condition | 8 |
| Total | 293 | Chorea | 7 |
| Truancy and wandering | 6 | ||
| Habit spasm | 6 | ||
| Obsessional state | 4 | ||
| Depression | 4 | ||
| Sleepwalking | 4 | ||
| Specific educational difficulty | 3 | ||
| Tic Masturbation | 3 | ||
| Sex difficulties | 2 | ||
| Faecal incontinence | 2 | ||
| Temper tantrums | 2 | ||
| Timid and fidgety | I | ||
| Insomnia | 1 | ||
| Screaming attacks | 1 | ||
| Periodic excitement | 1 | ||
| Confusional state | 1 | ||
| Not stated | 33 | ||
| Total | 293 |