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 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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170
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1913.
| Boys. ft • | Girls. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age last birthday. (1) | No. of children. (2) | Average weekly gain. (3) | Average weekly gain in standard boys. (4) | Age last birthday. (5) | No. of children. (6) | Average weekly gain. (7) | Average weekly gain in standard girls. (8) |
| - | - | ||||||
| Boys. | Girls. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age last birthday. (1) | Birley House, 1913-14. (2) | Birley House. 1912. (3) | London elementary schools, 1906. (4) | Age last birthday. (5) | Birley House, 1913-14. (6) | Birley House. 1912. (7) | London elementary schools, 1906. (8) |
| - | |||||||
The above table shows more clearly than any other the benefits obtained by putting the
weakly child in a favourable environment—for the proportional gain of the open-air scholar exceeds
that of the child in its old surroundings in varying degree up to 100 per cent.
The hæmoglobin content of the blood was estimated (by Tallquist's scale) three times during the year and the improvement noted can be taken as an indication of the quality of the increased body weight. Expressing the normal as 100, the averages at certain intervals were—
| Boys. | Girls. | |
|---|---|---|
| Boys. | Girls. | |
|---|---|---|
| Increase or 5 per cent. | ||
| * | ||
Many of the children at entry were found to have poor chest expansion, and considerable
attention was given to breathing exercises with encouraging results. Thus the boys who gave an
average chest measurement at entry of 22.4 inches (expiration) and 23.8 inches (inspiration) had
corresponding figures at discharge of 22.9 and 24.7, while the girls' averages were 22.0 and 23.8
inches respectively at entry and 23.2 and 25.4 on discharge.
Some notes on individual children are appended, from which it can be seen that the tubercular
children generally shared in the improvement made, but that not much diminution of the enlarged
cervical glands of some of the cases was produced, although the general health was benefited.
S.C.—M.—aet. 11—phthisis; tubercular signs since 1911; large initial gain in weight;
improvement maintained.
E.W.—F.—aet. 9—phthisis; signs first noted March, 1913; constant absences—moderate
gain.
D.S.—F.—aet. 10—phthisis; large initial gain followed by acute illness and loss; invalided
after six months.