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
Willesden 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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138
Scalp. Body.—The following Tables, Nos. 95 and 96,
classify the observations made as to the condition of the
scalp and body in the cases of the 9,343 children medically
inspected during the year:—
T able N o. 95. S calp.
| Boys. | Girls. | |
|---|---|---|
| No. of observations | 4826 | 4517 |
| Clean | 4274 or 88.6 per cent | 3997 or 88.5 per cent |
| Fairly clean | 516 or 10.7 „ | 475 or 10.5„ |
| Dirty | 36 or 0.7 „ | 45 or 1.0 „ |
| Nitty, Verminous | 139 or 2.9 „ | 717 or 15.9 „ |
| Ringworm | 7 or 0.1 „ | 6 or 0.1 „ |
| Other Diseases | 16 or 0.3 „ | 2 or 0.04 ,, |
| Table No. 96. Body. | ||
| Boys. | Girls. | |
| No. of observations | 4826 | 4517 |
| Clean | 4197 or 87. per cent | 4023 or 89. per cent |
| Fairly clean | 589 or 12.2 „ | 440 or 9.7 „ |
| Dirty | 40 or 0.8 | 54 or 1.2 „ |
| Verminous | 35 or 0.7 „ | 42 or 0.9,, |
| Ringworm | ... | ... |
| Other Diseases | 56 or 1.2 „ | 43 or 0.9 „ |
Dirty, Nitty and Verminous Conditions.—Generally
it should be noted that 11.4 per cent. of the scalps examined
were in want of washing, and that 2.9 per cent. of the boys
and 15.9 per cent. of the girls had their heads in a nitty or
verminous condition.
As regards the state of the body or skin generally, it
will be seen again that 11.9 per cent. of the children examined
could not be classified as clean, while 0.8 per cent.
exhibited signs of body lice—an exceedingly dirty condition.