View report page

SPECIAL MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
3,483 (2,621) special medical examinations were carried out in 1971, either at schools (where the
pupils' parents were invited to attend) or in the pupils' own homes.
RE-INSPECTIONS
School doctors re-inspected 5,778 (6,359) children who had been referred for treatment or observation.
EMPLOYMENT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN
During 1971 85 (167) examinations were carried out on school children of 13 years of age and over
who were employed part-time delivering milk, newspapers, in shops, etc. These examinations were carried
out within 14 days of the commencement of their employment and every 12 months thereafter. This was
to ensure that such employment was not prejudicial to their health and physical development and would
not render them unfit to obtain proper benefit from their education.
SCHOOL JOURNEY MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
Before children went away for a school journey, the school nurses carried out comprehensive inspections
and arranged for any treatments to be given which might be needed to make them fit to go. 2,203
(1,381) children were examined by a school doctor within 96 hours of departure to make sure that they
had not been in contact with infectious disease and to determine whether they were fit to go. One of the
accompanying teachers was available for the school doctor to discuss any restriction which should be placed
on the activities of any of the children. This reduced risks not only to individual children but to the party
as a whole.
Children going to Inner London Education Authority camps, where a school nurse was in attendance,
were seen by the school nurses only;2,078 (1,242) children were examined in this way during 1971.
HOLIDAY FOR OBESE GIRLS - STANSTEAD 1971
20 Overweight girls, aged between 11 and 13, from various London Boroughs and recommended by
their school medical officers, social workers and general practitioners, were invited to take part in a group
experiment for losing weight. This particular age group was chosen because it was thought that the girls
were at the beginning of their clothes and figure conscious stage.
In charge of the party was a senior mistress who also did a lot of evening work with teenagers, a
young teacher also much involved with play groups, a dietician and a school nurse from this Borough. The
holiday was for 3 weeks in the countryside in Essex.
After settling in the girls - many of whom had not been away from home before - were asked to hand
in any sweets, crisps, etc., they might have brought with them.
The idea was to give them a 1,200 calorie diet, and at the same time to see that they had plenty of
exercise.
The girls were weighed and measured on arrival and thereafter weighed twice a week and measured
on their last weighing day.
The diet was varied and kept within normal limits as far as cost and choice of food was concerned.
Sweeteners were used entirely in cooking and in drinks; ½ pint milk, ½ oz. of butter and 2 rounds of cut
bread or crispbread were allowed daily per person. The butter ration often proved to be too much and the
bulk of the milk was drunk on going to bed, with which they were allowed one plain biscuit. Fresh fruit was
frequently taken as dessert and the girls were allowed to drink as much water or low calorie squash as they
liked. After ten days it was found that the number of calories could easily be reduced to 1,000 daily without
effecting much change in the diet. There was meat or fish every day, eggs, salads, 2 small potatoes or the
equivalent in rice, and, of course, no thickened gravy, sauce or flour were ever used.
The girls had to do exercises every day, go for long walks or swim. The results were startling as the
most weight lost was 16 lbs. and the least 10 lbs. The total weight loss of the 19 girls who stayed the course
was over 17 stone, so the experiment is to be repeated.
97