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
Kensington and Chelsea 1969
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington & Chelsea Borough]
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27
Handicapped Children and Children "At Risk"
The Council's Handicap and Observation Register of children with
known handicaps or "at risk" of developing a handicapping condition is
compiled from several sources, and all cases are reviewed at regular
intervals. The total number of children on the register at the end of
the year was 972, compared with 943 for 1968.
The following is a summary of handicapped children who were on the register at the end of the year:-
| Handicapping Defects | Number of Children | |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 1968 | |
| Defects of vision | 11 | 8 |
| Defects of hearing | 7 | 3 |
| Cerebral Palsy, orthopaedic defects and defects of the central nervous system | 55 | 34 |
| Cardiac defects | 37 | |
| Epilepsy | 5 | 3 |
| Mental retardation | 19 | 13 |
| Other handicaps | 35 | 26 |
| Multiple handicaps | 34 | 36 |
| TOTAL | 203 | 147 |
Notification of Congenital Malformations
(Corresponding figures for 1968 are shown in brackets)
During the year, 59 (41) children were notified to the RegistrarGeneral
as having congenital defects apparent at birth according to
information given by doctors and midwives on notifications of births.
These included 8 (2) stillbirths, 8 (7) children showing more than one
defect, and 5 (2) with multiple abnormalities and gross defects.
The following is a summary of defects as classified by the Registrar-General:-
| Defects | Total | number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 1963 | 1967 | |
| Central nervous system | 15 | 7 | 8 |
| Eye and ear | 1 | nil | 1 |
| Alimentary system | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Heart and great vessels | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Respiratory system | nil | nil | nil |
| Urogenital system | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Limbs | 27 | 21 | 30 |
| Other skeletal defects | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Other systems and malformations | 5 | 3 | 7 |
| Multiple malformations | 5 | 2 | 2 |