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 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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15
within the Scheme. In practice, advantages so gained are to a
large degree offset by increased provision for the newer areas
of the Borough where the demand is abnormally high.
The following Table demonstrates the variations in the acceptance rate during recent years:-
| 1956 | 1955 | 1953 | 1949 | 1937 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. referred for Treatment | 14,370 | 12,874 | 14,998 | 9,404 | 13, 498 |
| Consents | 6,915: 48.1% | 6,158: 47.8% | 8,854: 59% | 6,996: 74.1% | 7,762: 57.7% |
| (Total Consents including Specials)* | (10.102: 57.5% | (9,370: 58.2% | (12,496: 66.1% | (10,098: 80.7% | (10,146: 63% |
| Refusals | 5,986: 41% | 5,321: 41.3% | 4,496: 30% | 1,213: 12.9% | 3,242: 24% |
| Forms not returned | 1,559: 10.9% | 1,395: 10.9% | 1,648: 11% | 1,195: 12.7% | 2,494: 18.5% |
* SPECIALS - Those referred by Head Teachers with Emergency Forms.
Treatment
Of 17,557 children referred for treatment (including specials)
9,399 (53.5 per cent.) were treated and 7,287 (41.5 per cent.)
cured completely, compared with 16,086 referred, 9,918 (61.6 per
cent.) treated and 6,962 (43.2 per cent.) cured in 1955.
Despite the usual staff fluctuations the total of treatment
sessions increased from 2,361 to 2,776. Assistance by Part-time
staff was again rather less than average for recent years and
fell from 351 to 304 sessions.
Whilst clinically the aim of the Service is to give as complete
a treatment as possible, the scope of the work must to
some extent be related to the resources available in any particular
district. For this reason patients requiring specialised
attention are on occasion referred to the Central Clinic, provided
they are willing to undertake the journey. Because of the
obvious amount of overcrowding present in many mouths, special
emphasis is now being given to advanced planning of treatment
for particular children; the role played by the Orthodontist in
this matter is discussed later in this Report.