View report page

In addition 1,285 special inspections and 691 re-inspections were
carried out.
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 hospital 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 comprising 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 the children
sent home for surveillance until the incubation period was over. Daily
visits to the school were made and any child with a suspicious fever,
71