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
Hammersmith 1966
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hammersmith Borough]
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Personal Hygiene.
The hygiene inspection of each child once a term was replaced by the London County
Council, in January, 1959, by an annual comprehensive survey of each pupil; plus such additional
health surveys as were thought necessary or desirable at selected individual schools or departments,
and this practice has been continued. Details of this work done under the cleansing
scheme are shown below. The emphasis of the cleansing scheme, as now carried out, is on the
children being cleansed by the parent at home where other verminous members of the family may,
in the privacy that the home affords, also use the Lorexane No.3 shampoo distributed by the
school nursing department; hence eradicating a possible source to the child of recurring infestation.
It is the practice for the school nurse, prior to the commencement of school term, to
visit families with a record of infestation to ensure that the children are clean and fit to return to
school. This practice has continued to be of considerable value.
Findings at Health Surveys — 1966.
| School Roll — December, 1966 | 26,134 | (26,107) | |
| 1. | Comprehensive Surveys | ||
| (a) Number examined | 25,259 | (24,492) | |
| (b) Number (occasions) found verminous | 231 | (161) | |
| (c) Percentage found verminous | 0.91 | (0.66) | |
| 2. | Selective Surveys | ||
| (a) Number examined | 14,522 | (15,398) | |
| (b) Number (occasions) found verminous | 466 | (376) | |
| (c) Percentage found verminous | 3.07 | (2.44) | |
| 3. | (a) Total times vermin found (1(b)+2(b)) | 697 | (537) |
| (b) Total % found (3(a) as % of 1(a) + 2(a)) | 1.70 | (1.35) | |
| (c) Number of individual pupils found verminous | 332 | (199) | |
| (d) % of individual pupils found verminous (of school roll) | 1.27 | (0.76) | |
| 4. | Action taken with verminous cases — | ||
| (a) Advice and/or Lorexane | 537 | (463) | |
| (b) Further action | 140 | (74) | |
| (c) 4(b) expressed as a % of 4(a) | 26.07 | (16.0) | |
| Analysis of 4(b) cases — referrals of hardcore | |||
| cases to bathing centres Voluntary attendance at bathing centres — | |||
| Number of pupils | 140 | (74) | |
| Number of statutory notices issued | - | ||
| Number cleansed at centres following statutory notices | |||
| Voluntarily | |||
| Compulsorily | — | ||
| 5. | Communicable Disease Surveys | ||
| Number examined for — Athlete's Foot | 638 | (469) | |
| Plantar Warts | 776 | (383) | |
| Dysentery Other communicable | 809 | (34) | |
| diseases | 3,923 | (4,019) | |
| Total of (5) | 6,146 | (4,905) | |
(60)