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
Walthamstow 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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| Number of children sent by Attendance Officers and Attendance Committees | 42 |
| Number of attendances made by children | 15,794 |
| Number of children sent by Head Teachers | 3,822 |
| Number of swabs taken | 430 |
| Number of specimens of hair examined for Ringworm | — |
| Number operated on for Tonsils and Adenoids | 181 |
| Number of children X-rayed | — |
| Number of children seen by Ophthalmic Surgeon:— | |
| New cases | 439 |
| Prescribed for | 526 |
| Total inspections | 2,772 |
First attendances number 4,776 against 5,292 in 1946, and
re-attendances 11,018 against 10,257, the total attendances being
15,794 against 15,449.
(d) Visual Defects and External Eye Diseases.—Dr. Sheppard
has kindly contributed the following account of the work done
during 1947:—
The following tables summarise the defects found in the new cases:—
| Defect. | Under 7 years. | 7-11 years. | Over 11 years. | Secondary Schools. | Total. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | |
| Hypermetropia | 11 | 12 | 19 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 39 | 39 |
| Hypermetropic Astigmatism | 2 | 2 | 13 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 24 | 28 |
| Myopic Astigmatism | — | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 15 |
| Mixed Astigmatism | — | — | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | — | 3 | 8 | 12 |
| Myopia | — | — | 7 | 12 | 16 | 26 | 11 | 15 | 34 | 53 |
| Various | 21 | 30 | 27 | 49 | 29 | 44 | 8 | 15 | 85 | 138 |
| Totals | 34 | 47 | 76 | 97 | 59 | 93 | 35 | 48 | 204 | 285 |
The details of the group described as "various" are as
follows:—
| Defects. | Boys. | Girls. | Totals. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squint | 37 | 55 | 92 |
| Headaches, anæmia, styes, debility, amblyopia, etc. | 22 | 46 | 68 |
| No visual defects | 26 | 37 | 63 |
| Totals | 85 | 138 | 223 |