London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

London County Council 1912

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

This page requires JavaScript

136
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1912.
and the work and games regulated by the rise of temperature observed in individual cases
Absolute rest after meals and after exercise should be insisted upon. Where residential treatment
is impossible, the next best thing is the open air school.
Children treated on these lines for a long time—at least a year—develop sufficient resistance to
prevent the spread of disease : if treatment is only continued for a few months the cases almost
always relapse. Following up and supervision are extremely important, and when the children pass
from school suitable open air work should be found for them, and they should continue to be
examined periodically.
Medical inspection in training colleges, secondary and trade schools.
L.C.C.
Training
Colleges
Secondary
and Trade
Schools.
Since 1908 medical inspection has been carried out in all the Council's training colleges, secondary
schools, trade and technical schools. Each student is examined once a year, and each institution visited
once in six weeks, so that the doctor can be consulted concerning pupils presenting any symptoms likely
to affect their health or work. Every student has a medical record card showing at a glance the condition,
so that the students are continually under observation and are not permitted to continue at the
institution if through illness or other causes they become unfit. Appendix Ia shows the defects noted.
The principals, head masters and head mistresses thoroughly recognise the advantages to be gained
not only to the scholar but indirectly to the school, for the efficiency of teaching must largely depend
on the receptivity of the pupil and this again on conditions of good health. More and more do those in
authority tend to consult the doctor on health questions, and they devote a considerable amount of time
and energy to interviewing and writing to parents with the result that steps are taken to remedy the
majority of defects found. This co-operation of principals, parents and students with doctors brings
about a harmonious working of the scheme with most gratifying results.
Non-
maintained
institutions.
During the past year the Council's scholars in attendance at non-maintained secondary schools,
and all scholars attending aided trade and domestic economy schools at which a system of medical
inspection has not been adopted have been periodically examined. In many cases the scholars were
examined at the institutions at which they were in attendance, but in others the examinations were
conducted at the head office in order to meet the wishes of the governors who preferred such an arrangement
on the ground either of lack of accommodation, or the undesirableness of differentiating at the
schools between the holders of the Council's scholarships and other pupils. As in the case of the Council's
institutions a medical record card was filled in for each scholar, go that the scholars were continuously
under observation and were thus not permitted to continue at the institution if through illness or
other causes they became unfit. The head masters and mistresses exercised vigilance and
showed keenness in obtaining prompt treatment of any ailments noted at the medical examinations,
and the parents responded to their efforts. In some cases the scholars were accompanied to the head
office by assistant masters and mistresses, who made notes and otherwise assisted the doctors. Appendix
IB shows the defects noted.
Thjroidism.
During the year special attention has been paid to the history of pupils who have exhibited any
signs suggestive of thyroidism. In a total of 1,160 girls Dr. Woodcock found nine cases or 0.7 per
cent. of general enlargement of the thyroid gland. Only one of these showed all the cardinal signs
of Graves' Disease. In four the thyroid had decreased in size during the time they were under medical
observation, one of the remaining eight had slight tremor. Dr. Tchaykovsky noted nineteen cases of
enlarged thyroid gland in 900 cases analysed, or two per cent. All these cases were kept under strict
supervision.
Physique.
A marked difference is observed in physique and nutrition in different neighbourhoods and Under
different conditions. For example, the pupils at Hackney Downs and Marylebone Grammar schools
are physically superior to those of the George Green school, which is largely recruited from a crowded
east end neighbourhood. The former to have the advantage of spacious grounds and a swimming bath,
while the latter are handicapped by the lack of playground and facilities for outdoor games. Some
provision in this respect is badly needed. The parents at the George Green school have been somewhat
slower in obtaining treatment, hence the higher proportion of unremedied defects, particularly of the
teeth, among the girls.
Improvement in health has gone pari passu with the improvement in the mid-day meal. At
the training colleges the hot mid-day meal is much appreciated and is within the reach of all the students.
In the Bermondsey Secondary school the experiment has been made of insisting on all children having a
hot dinner either at home or at school instead of the unappetising cold repast of sandwiches and bread
and butter formerly adopted by many. Arrangements are made to assist with payment for dinners
where this is the real difficulty. The greatest improvement in physique was found among the younger
children. This change might with advantage be adopted in all schools. It might be found desirable
to use some of the scholarship grant for this important meal. There is no doubt that so long as
the feeding is adequate the technical work in the trade schools proves beneficial to nutrition and good
Physique.
Posture.
The carriage of the students bears testimony to the energy of the drill mistresses, which, however,
needs to be supplemented by vigilance of the class mistresses, since faulty attitudes of sitting in desks
or standing with the weight on one foot are very productive of minor spinal defects. The long mirror
which has been supplied to many schools is a helpful means of demonstrating to the individual pupil
the effect of bad positions and the ease with which they can be avoided or corrected by a little personal
care. The drill mistress consults with the doctor at the medical inspections and suitable exercises are
given in school for those with minor postural deformities. At Graystoke Place Training College, the
morning health exercises continue to show the beneficial effect of daily gymnastics.