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
Enfield 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Enfield]
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37 per cent. of the children examined were vaccinated. The comparative figures for the last five years are as follow:—
| 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of children vaccinated | 40 | 40 | 42 | 42 | 37 |
DEFECTS FOUND AT ROUTINE MEDICAL INSPECTION.
Uncleanliness.—Of 2869 children examined 21 were found to
have vermin in their heads and 224 had nits. One child was excluded
for body vermin.
The following is a comparative table for the last five years:—
| 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of children examined | 3258 | 2514 | 2790 | 3087 | 2869 |
| No of children verminous | 112 | 82 | 64 | 54 | 21 |
| Percentage of children verminous | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.7 |
| No. of children found to have nits.. | 457 | 335 | 328 | 281 | 224 |
| Percentage of children found to have nits | 14.0 | 13.4 | 11.7 | 9.1 | 7.8 |
These figures show a steady improvement in the cleanliness
of our school children. Were it not for a few bad families these
numbers would be considerably better.
Malnutrition.—No cases of malnutrition due to insufficient
feeding were seen in the course of routine inspection, but many
cases of pallor, listlessness, and debility were seen and special
reference is made to them in my opening remarks.
Skin Diseases.—Eight cases were seen, six required treatment
and two were kept under observation.
Ear Disease.—Twenty-three cases of middle ear disease were
found; also 53 cases of defective hearing. All these cases were
referred to the Aural Clinic for treatment.
The following is a comparative table for the last five years:—
| 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Children examined | 3258 | 2514 | 2790 | 3087 | 2869 |
| No. of cases of Middle Ear Disease found | 18 | 24 | 11 | 18 | 23 |
| Percentage of cases of Middle Ear Disease found | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| No of cases of Defective Hearing found | 63 | 40 | 42 | 56 | 53 |
| Percentage of cases of Defective Hearing found | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.8 |