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

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London County Council 1917

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

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39
closed, and in 41 schools children under 5 years were excluded for appropriate periods, whilst unprotected
children were excluded from 1,215 classrooms.
Whooping cough was less prevalent during 1917 than at any time during the past 5 years, only
7,117 cases having been reported as occurring among school children. Whooping cough is compulsorily
notifiable in the boroughs of Greenwich, Lambeth and Holborn.
The progressive decline in the number of cases of ringworm occurring among school children
during the past few years continued during 1917. The total number of fresh cases discovered was
2,824, the lowest number recorded since 1911; the number of children cured was 2,964, of these 53 per
cent, were treated by X.rays. At the end of the year only 992 school children were known to be suffering
from the disease. The number of hair specimens submitted by school nurses for microscopical examination
was 2,401, of which 1,193 were found to contain ringworm fungus, and 15 showed the presence of
favus.
Only three fresh cases of favus were reported during the year.
The standard of health, so far as infectious illness is concerned, in the Council's residential special
and industrial schools has been generally satisfactory. Cases of epidemic diseases such as scarlet fever,
measles, chicken pox and mumps, and of contagious skin diseases, such as ringworm and scabies, have
occurred in certain institutions, but the preventive measures taken have been successful in averting
their spread.
The principal conditions noted among the children in the places of detention were scabies and
ringworm, as might be expected considering the type of children passing through these institutions.
A small outbreak of measles (6 cases) and an outbreak of mumps (7 cases) occurred at Ponton.road
place of detention, but otherwise there is nothing noteworthy to record.
[ Defective Children.
During the year two new schools have been opened for physically defective children, and nine
classes for myopic children. Two schools for mentally defective children have been closed.
The total number of examinations conducted under the special Acts during the year was 5,566,
as compared with 5,422 for 1916. Of these, 1,108 were deemed suitable to attend elementary schools,
60 a blind school, 278 schools for myopes, 930 P.D. school, 1,318 M.D. school, 21 open.air school,
66 hard of hearing school, 95 a deaf school, 1,054 were epileptic, 507 invalided from school attendance,
108 imbecile, 4 feeble.minded ineducable, and 17 idiots.

The following table shows the nature of the conditions found among the children certified suitable or admission to physically defective schools at the admission examinations during the year:—

Certified.No. attending School.Certified.No. attending School.
Boys.Girls.Total.Boys.Girls.Total.
Infantile paralysis1ll69180Heart disease100147247
Cerebral paralysis211536Congenital deformities251742
Various paralysis Tubercle3710Various deformities395796
140123272Other diseases252247

The special schools were visited at least once a quarter, and every child present was seen at least
once during the year. During these visits the scholars were re.classified : 293 were transferred to
elementary schools, 3 to blind and myope schools, 27 from physically defective to mentally defective
schools, 2 from mentally defective to physically defective schools, 32 were excluded from mentally
defective schools as imbecile, 36 were invalided on medical grounds, and 37 over 14 years of age were
excluded as no longer certifiable. In addition, 1,441 special examinations were made of children already
on the rolls of special schools, in connection with applications for non.enforcement of attendance'at
special schools, committals to industrial schools, reformatories, etc.

The following return gives the numbers of defective children recorded on 31st December, 1917 —

Blind and partially blind.Deaf and hard of hearing.M.D. excluding imbeciles and idiots.Physically Defective.
8312313
Attending certified special schools6707137,1063,716
Not at a schools6.511

In the age groups, out of a total of 228,124 examined, the following were found to be the mental
conditions of the children : Dull or backward age group 8.9 years, boys, 6.5 per cent., and girls, 5.3 per
cent.; leavers, boys, 8.2; girls, 8.3 per cent.; mentally defective, age group 8.9 years, boys and girls,
0.2 per cent.; leavers, boys and girls, 0.3 per cent.
During the year there were referred by the local education authority to the local authority undeT
the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, 229 cases, of which 77 were feeble.minded, 132 imbeciles, 19 idiots,
and 1 was a moral imbecile.
Whooping
cough.
Ringworm
and Favus.
Residential
speoial and
industrial
schooli and
places of
detention.
Admiasion
examination!.
Rota viiits.
Mental
Deficiency
Act, 1913.