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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186
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1913.
Brought forward 22,570
Other stations—(continued)—
Hampstead 283
Islington 2,973
City of London 72
Poplar 2,233
St. Cecilia's House 1,494
St. Marylebone 1,918
St. Pancras 3,925
South wark 3,588
Stoke Newington 417
Westminster 1,418
Woolwich 567
18,888
41,458
.This number is an increase of 14,545, or 54 0 per cent., when compared with the number for
last year, and is to be accounted for in the main by the additional stations and the opportunities given
for voluntary cleansing. During the year 638 parents were fined amounts varying from 2s. to 10s.,
with 2s. costs.
The following table compares the work done in the year under review with that for the year 1912:—
| Number examined. | Number clean. | Number verminous. | Number returned clean. | Number of statutory notices served. | Number cleansed at stations. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | |
| Boys— | ||||||
| 1912 | 188,926 | 181,378 | 7,548 | 3,511 | 4,037 | 3,285 |
| 1913 | 248,074 | 238,248 | 9,826 | 4,672 | 2,171 | 5,154 |
| Increase or decrease | +59,148 | +56,870 | +2,278 | +1,161 | —1,866 | +1,869 |
| Girls— | ||||||
| 1912 | 202,720 | 194,738 | 7,982 | 3,245 | 4,737 | 3,995 |
| 1913 | 288,729 | 278,124 | 10,605 | 5,012 | 2,698 | 5,593 |
| Increase or decrease | +86,009 | + 83,386 | +2,623 | +1,767 | —2,039 | +1,598 |
| Infants— | ||||||
| 1912 | 171,101 | 166,005 | 5,096 | 2,157 | 2,939 | 1,675 |
| 1913 | 227,054 | 220,753 | 6,301 | 4,096 | 2,137 | 2,205 |
| Increase or decrease | +55,953 | +54,748 | +1,205 | +1,939 | —802 | +530 |
| Mixed | ||||||
| 1912 | 57,169 | 55,191 | 1,978 | 788 | 1,190 | 877 |
| 1913 | 81,981 | 79,865 | 2,116 | 1,076 | 632 | 1,040 |
| Increase or decrease | +24,812 | +24,674 | +138 | +288 | 558 | +163 |
| Special— | ||||||
| 1912 | 10,443 | 9,474 | 969 | 478 | 491 | 516 |
| 1913 | 12,853 | 11,798 | 1,055 | 385 | 260 | 670 |
| Increase or decrease | +2,410 | +2,324 | +86 | —93 | —231 | +154 |
| Totals— | ||||||
| 1912 | 630,359 | 606,786 | 23,573 | 10,179 | 13,394 | 10,348 |
| 1913 | 858,691 | 828,788 | 29,903 | 15,241 | 7,898 | 14,662 |
| Increase or decrease | +228,332 | +222,002 | +6,330 | +5,062 | —5,496 | +4,314 |
It will be observed that whereas the number of children examined has greatly, and the number
found verminous has slightly increased, there is a considerable diminution in the number of statutory
notices which it became necessary to issue. This fact is accounted for by the increase in the number
of cases cleansed at home (viz., 15,241, an increase of 5,062, or 49.7 per cent.), and the increase in
the number taking advantage of the voluntary baths. This result appears to show that parents are
responding to the efforts made to secure a higher standard of cleanliness among school children.
Scabies
In addition to dealing with children suffering from ordinary verminous conditions
arrangements have been made for children suffering from scabies to be cleansed at a number of
the stations. This disease is responsible for long periods of suffering and absence from school and a
considerable loss in grant. Most of the children suffering are having medical treatment, but the
parents do not possess the necessary facilities for bathing and the sterilisation of clothing. The
hospitals have been informed of the facilities given at the cleansing stations, and it is hoped that
with their co-operation much will be done to eradicate this trouble from among school children. The
children attend the cleansing stations, bringing their ointment, on the latter portion of those days
when the station is open. This time is kept exclusively for the attendance of scabies cases so that
they shall not mix with ordinary verminous cases. When a child attends at the station a notification
is sent to the local Medical Officer of Health in order that action necessary in the home may be
carried out. The bath is thoroughly cleansed and the towels sterilised after each case. All towels