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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140
more teeth defective. In 22.5 per cent of cases, children
have four or more carious, and these urgently need treatment.
Only a very small proportion of children receive
dental treatment from private sources.
The question of dental treatment engaged the attention
of the Education Committee during the year, and my report
on the subject appears in Appendix E to this report.
Diseases of the Nose and Throat.—The following
Table, No. 98, shows the results of medical inspection in
connection with these diseases during the year under
review :—
Table No . 98.
| Boys. | Girls. | |
|---|---|---|
| No. of observations | 4826 | 4517 |
| No. with enlarged tonsils only | 875 = 18.1 per cent. | 866=19.2 percent. |
| No. with adenoids only | 141= 2.9 „ | 109= 2.4 „ |
| No. with enlarged tonsils and adenoids | 518=10.7 „ | 406=9.0 ,, |
| No. of mouth breathers | 301= 6.2 „ | 162=3.6 „ |
| No. with nasal catarrh | 151= 3.1 „ | 54=1.2 „ |
| No. with fauces congested | 5= 0.1 „ | 5=0.1 „ |
| No. with polypus | 2=0.04 „ | |
| No. with other diseases of the nose and throat | 20= 0.4 ,, | 32= 0.7 „ |
From the foregoing it will be noted that 36 per cent
of the children examined were mouth-breathers or suffered
from enlarged tonsils, adenoids, or enlarged tonsils with
adenoids. These conditions directly affect health and
education. Adenoids frequently cause running ears and
subsequent deafness. Adenoids and mouth-breathing are
also very commonly associated with dulness and mental
incapacity. Enlarged tonsils expose the sufferer to frequent
attacks of tonsillitis, with consequent loss of school attendance;
while diphtheria caught under such conditions is very
dangerous. All these conditions are easily remediable, and