London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Ealing 1940

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]

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17
EVACUATION.
The evacuation of school children from Ealing entailed considerable
additional work for the school medical staff.
Children were evacuated at two periods, in June and in
October. For the first evacuation the children were medically
examined in May and finally inspected before their departure in
June. In October, when the bombing of London was increasing
in severity, application was made to the Ministry of Health to make
the whole Borough an evacuation area. Until then only that part
south of the Great Western Railway line was an evacuation area.
The Ministry consented and as a result a large number of children
was examined and sent away immediately.
A number of children was examined from time to time and
sent away in small parties.
In addition to the children examined under these two
evacuation schemes a number were examined by the Council's
Medical Officers, at the suggestion of the Board of Education,
for evacuation under the Voluntary Scheme for the Evacuation
of Unaccompanied School Children Overseas.
Two school nurses were sent to Devonshire to assist that
Authority with the evacuated children.

The following table gives the number of children examined and finally inspected prior to evacuation:—

Number of children seen at preliminary examination in May799
Number of children finally examined in June785
Number of children examined in October4,403
Number of children examined for overseas emigration956
Total number of examinations of children during the year5,987

MEDICAL INSPECTION.
Medical inspection was carried out as in normal years and
included the routine inspection in the schools of children in the
three age-groups recommended by the Board of Education, namely,
(a) entrants, (b) children at eight years, and (c) children at twelve
years.