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Survey into Defects of School Leavers
At the request of the Research Committee of the School Health
Service Group of the Society of Medical Officers of Health, the
school physicians co-operated in an enquiry into the incidence of
certain defects in children about to leave school. This enquiry
was undertaken during the autumn term 1957 958 children were
examined and a simple questionnaire completed for 81 children
found to have such a defect or to have had it in the past. Of
these 81 children 47 were considered to have a defect of some
importance. The questionnaires have been forwarded to the
sponsors of the enquiry for analysis in conjunction with the
results obtained by other school medical officers and the results
will be made known later.
Infectious Diseases in School Children
The year opened with the customary biennial increase in the
incidence of measles - 1,300 cases were notified in the school
population. At the end of June a fatal case of smallpox occurred
in an unvaccinated boy aged six, who prior to admission to hospit
al had attended Crowland Road Infants School, tottenham. This
boy had probably been in contact during the early infective phase
with his school classmates. Throughout a weekend, a team com
prising medical officer health visitor and public health inspector
was busy vaccinating or re vaccinating child contacts in their
homes as well as all teaching and ancillary staff, and giving
passive protection with gamma-globulin to those classmates never
previously vaccinated. The class concerned was closed and then