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
Croydon 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AT ROUTINE MEDICAL INSPECTIONS 1955 (Percentages of Children examined)
| Defect or Disease | Entrants | Intermediates | Leavers | Other Ages and 8 to 9 yrs | All Groups | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teeth | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.1 | |
| Skin | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Eyes- | |||||||||
| Vision | 0.9 | 0.9 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 7.2 | 7.7 | 5.5 | 8.0 | 4.7 |
| Squint | 1.7 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | ||
| Other | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| Ears- | |||||||||
| Hearing | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.7 | |||
| Otitis Media | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | ||
| Other | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | ||
| Nose or Throat | 10.5 | 10.2 | 2.2 | 4.5 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 5.5 |
| Speech | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.0 | |
| Cervical Glands | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.3 | |
| Heart and Circulation | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| Lungs | 2.8 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Development- | |||||||||
| Hernia | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | |||
| Other | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.7 | ||
| Orthopaedic- | |||||||||
| Posture | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.6 |
| Flat Feet | 3.2 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Other | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Nervous System- | |||||||||
| Epilepsy | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | ||
| Other | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | |
| Psychological- | |||||||||
| Development | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Stability | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | |
| Dul1 and Backward | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | ||
| Other Defects | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
UNCLEANLINESS
Cleanliness inspections are carried out by the School Nurse
each term in every school, so that all pupils are brought under
review. The finding of slight infestation in unexpected offende???
leads to the issue of an informal letter to the parents, setti???
out a method of treatment and offering a supply of suitable
emulsion. The appropriate formal notices are sent to the parent
of children previously found verminous. Steel combs are sold ???
loaned where necessary. Endeavour is made to serve notices on the
parents by the School Nurse personally, so that she has opportunity
to emphasise that infestation may be a family complaint
and not limited to the school child, and the need for consta???
cleanliness to prevent relapses. A cleansing station is provide
for the treatment of scabies and very occasionally deals with
other verminous conditions.
Number of children inspected for Cleanliness
(first inspection) 63,533