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
London County Council 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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162
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1912.
Table showing the average
| Boys. | Girls. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age last birthday. | No. of children. | Average weekly gain | Average weekly gain in standard boys. | Age last birthday. | No. of children. | Average weekly gain. | Average weekly gain in standard girls. |
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | (8) |
| - | - | ||||||
Table showing the weekly increase in weight expressed as
| Boys. | Girls. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age last birthday. | Birley House, 1912. | Open-air schools, 1907-8. | London elementary schools, 1906. | Age last birthday. | Birley House, 1912. | Open-air schools, 1907-8. | London elementary schools, 1906. |
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | (8) |
| - | - | ||||||
The smaller increase as compared with that obtained in 1907-8 is due to the considerably longer
time the school is now open, a rapid initial increase being followed by a period of steady normal improvement.
Some measure of improved conditions of bodily health is afforded by the estimations of the
haemoglobin content of the blood; the summary of these (made with Tallquist's scale) is set out in the
table below, 100 being taken as normal.
Hæmoglobin
averages.
Table showing the haemoglobin averages at Birley House at certain intervals, 1912.
| Boys. | Girls. | |
|---|---|---|
| At opening of school | 86.6 | 85.3 |
| At end of 24 weeks | 89.1 | 88.7 |
| At end of 44 weeks | 91.8 | 90.7 |
Table showing estimated changes in haemoglobin content in 44 weeks.
| Boys. | Girls. | |
|---|---|---|
| Number showing decrease of 5 percent | 1 | _ |
| Number stationary | 9 | 5 |
| Increase of 5 per cent. | 15 | 16 |
| Increase of 10 per cent. | 8 | 8 |
| Increase of 15 per cent. | 2 | 2 |
| Increase of 20 per cent, or over | 1 | 1 |
The demonstration of the results obtained in the special defects which had led to the children's
admission being recommended is made somewhat difficult because of the varying conceptions which
different observers have of the term "tuberculosis." Using the word in the wide sense in which it is
sometimes employed, probably one-half of the scholars could be considered titberculous, but four alone