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
London County Council 1914
Annual report of the Council, 1914 Vol. III public health...
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130
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1914.
School
clotures
The subjoined table shows the number of closures of departments or classrooms and special exclusions of groups of children which were resorted to during the year for the purpose of preventing the spread of infection.
| Action taken. | Number of occasions on which exclusions or closures were carried out. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measles. | Whooping cough. | Scarlet fever. | Measles, whooping cough and diphtheria, | |
| Departments closed | - | - | - | - |
| Classrooms closed | 2 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Exclusion of all children under 5 years of age | 13 | 12 | - | - |
| Exclusion of all unprotected children under 5 years of age Unprotected children excluded from departments | 88 2 | - | - | - |
| Unprotected children excluded from classrooms | 1,801 | - | - | - |
| - | ||||
| Exclusion of all children under 5 years of age | 1 | - | - | - |
| Terms. | New Cases reported. | Cured cases. | Suffering cases at end of term. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Treatment by which cures effected. | No. | Treatment being obtained. | ||
| Spring Term | 1,513 | 1,617 | X-rays 50% Ointments and lotions from hospitals, etc. 29% Ointments, etc., from private doctors 14% Chemists and home remedies 7% | 2,130 | X-rays 31% Ointments and lotions from hospitals, etc. 36% Ointments, etc., from private doctors 21% Chemists and home remedies 12% No treatment (8 cases). |
| Summer Term | 1,448 | 1,391 | X-rays 48% Ointments and lotions from hospitals, etc. 27% Ointments, etc., from private doctors 15% Chemists and home remedies 10% | 2,134 | X-rays 31% Ointments and lotions from hospitals, etc. ... 35% Ointments, etc., from private doctors 20% Chemists and home remedies 12% No treatment 2% |
| Michaelmas Term ... | 1,488 | 1,896 | X-rays 51% Ointments and lotions from hospitals, etc. 22% Ointments, etc., from private doctors 15% Chemists and home remedies 11% | 1,638 | X-rays 32% Ointments and lotions from hospitals, etc. ... 35% Ointments, etc., from private doctors 19% Chemists and home remedies 13% No treatment 1% |
The cases in which children were lost sight of owing to removals or had passed out of the
Council's jurisdiction are not recorded in the above table. During 1914, 4,449 fresh cases were
discovered as compared with 5,573 during the preceding year, and the number of cases in which
treatment had not been completed at the end of the year was 1,638 as against 2,277 in 1913—noteworthy
reductions. These figures coupled with the figures given in the table of children out of
school for long periods on account of ill health (p. 109) lead to the hope that the active measures
taken with regard to this disease are beginning not only to reduce its prevalence but to shorten the
average period of its duration.
During the year 3,557 specimens of hair have been forwarded by assistant medical officers
and school nurses for microscopical examination in the laboratory. The subjoined table sets out the
results of these examinations, and for purposes of comparison similar figures for preceding years are
also shown. It should be noted that the figures in the table relate to the number of specimens
examined and do not indicate the number of children affected.