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

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London County Council 1916

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

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its children while putting forth the most prodigious martial efforts the world has ever seen, must be sound to the core.

clotning and footgear.Nutrition.
Intermediate age group.Leavers.Intermediate age group.Leavers.
Year.Good.Fair.Poor.Good.Fair.Poor.Good.Fair.Poor.Good.Fair.Poor.
Boys191347.545.47.149.145.45.522.062.215.826.458.914.7
191447.845.96.352.641.95.519.970.110.026.461.112.5
191551.444.64.052.543.44.121.269.89.129.063.87.2
191652.444.13.554.342.23.523.667.09.429.463.86.8
Girls.191351.443.94.751.844.83.425.161.413.530.655.114.3
191451.645.03.455.940.83.322.868.29.029.958.611.5
191555.043.02.058.240.11.723.369.07.732.860.96.3
191655.642.81.658.939.81.326.465.68.031.462.36.3
Cleanliness of Head.Cleanliness of Body.
Intermediate age group.Leavers.Intermediate age group.Leavers.
yearClean.Nits.VerminousClean.Nits.VerminousClean.Dirty.VerminousClean.Dirty.Verminous
Boys191387.112.30.687.312.30.472.025.12.973.124.32.6
191480.912.60.588.511.20.375.322.91.875.123.01.9
191588.411.40.290.98.90.276.622.01.477.920.91.2
191689.210.60.290.69.20.279.319.71.079.219.81.0
Girls191367.330.32.467.230.42.473.724.22.174.823.12.1
191466.331.62.168.829.31.977.820.81.478.020.71.3
191569.229.41.472.626.21.277.621.41.080.718.50.8
191668.829.91.370.828.11.180.518.80.781.717.80.5

The continued improvement in the condition of the children at medical inspections, as regards
cleanliness, is a testimony to the success of the arduous work of the school nurses. In a later portion
of this report, an account of their work under the cleansing scheme is given. There it will be seen that
owing in part, to war conditions, a very large increase indeed has taken place, this year, in the number
of children brought to the cleansing stations.
In the last Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education, a table was
given in which London was compared with 39 other areas of various types. Were the examinations
in London strictly comparable with those carried out in other areas, a very serious excess of uncleanliness
among the children of the Metropolis would thus be revealed. However, the examinations are not
comparable. In most country districts the inspecting doctor is not aided by a nurse, with the result
that the fraction of his time spent on investigating the condition of the children as regards cleanliness
is infinitesimal, whereas, in London, the estimation of this condition is a main part of the work of the
nurse in preparation for inspection, and this single point thus receives in London as much attention
as is paid in many of the compared districts to the whole twenty-odd items in the Schedule of Medical
Inspection. Then, too, the parents are warned of medical inspection, and the children come to school
newly scrubbed, with shining morning faces and clad in fresh raiment for the occasion, while, when a
nurse makes a preliminary visit, nothing of this kind occurs. Sir George Newman recognises the justice
of the former explanation, as he says, in his comment upon the table : "the lower percentage of clean
conditions which obtained in London is due probably to the acknowledged requirements of a somewhat
higher standard than exists elsewhere in the country."
The Chief Medical Officer gives no clue to the identity of the areas with which London is compared,
but a random examination of reports by school medical officers shows quite clearly the justice of the
foregoing contentions.
Thus Liverpool pays very great attention to the assessment of uncleanliness, as is evidenced
by the fact that head cleanliness is there classified under seven categories, and body cleanliness under
five. Note is also made in this city, as in London, of the number of children marked by flea-bites. The
Liverpool figures are, therefore, likely to be fairly comparable with the London figures; they were
for 1915:—
London.
Liverpool.
London.
Liverpool.
Head—Clean 81.6 65.1 Body—Clean 83.9 79.
Nits 17.8 34.9 Dirty 16.71 19.42
Verminous .76 *2.58 Verminous 3.32 .98
*It is evident that children with pediculi are also included in the percentage of children with nits.