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 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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changes, if any, have taken place. A series of tables has, therefore, been prepared giving the results of the inspection of entrants in the years 1913, 1915, 1920 and 1925.
| Good. | Boys. Average. | Poor. | Good. | Girls. Average. | Poor. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2. | 3. | 1. | 2. | 3. | |
| 1913 | 30.6 | 58.5 | 11.9 | 32.7 | 57.6 | 9.7 |
| 1915 | 32.1 | 62.4 | 5.5 | 32.3 | 62.5 | 5.2 |
| 1920 | 26.1 | 67.5 | 6.4 | 26.6 | 67.5 | 5.9 |
| 1925 | 21.4 | 72.9 | 5.7 | 22.4 | 72.6 | 50 |
The percentages in this table show the great drop in the number of children
poorly nourished which took place during the war when unemployment practically
ceased to exist. In 1920 there was apparent a tendency to increase in the number
poorly nourished, but in 1925 the number of entrants found to be poorly nourished
is not greater than in 1915, and it may be claimed that in spite of unemployment,
the measures that have been taken to prevent distress have been conspicuously
successful so far as the figures of nutrition of entrant infants can testify.
The table further shows that there has been an equalising influence at work,
and the central column containing the average child has increased at the expense of
the first column.
Cleanliness
of entrant
infants.
The tendency of the times is thus well illustrated, inequalities at the one end of the scale are being reduced, while the incidence of distress at the other end is being held in check or even lessened.
| Boys. | Girls. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean. | Head Nits. | Vermin. | Clean. | Body Dirty. | Vermin. | Clean. | Head Nits. | Vermin. | Clean. | Body Dirty. | Vermin | |
| 1. | 2. | 3. | 1. | 2. | 3. | 1. | 2. | 3. | 1. | 2. | 3. | |
| 1913 | 86.8 | 12.5 | 0.7 | 77.6 | 20.6 | 1.8 | 73.9 | 24.8 | 1.8 | 76.9 | 21.3 | 1.8 |
| 1915 | 90.0 | 9.7 | 0.3 | 82.0 | 17.2 | 0.8 | 76.2 | 22.4 | 1.4 | 81.1 | 18.0 | 0.9 |
| 1920 | 93.8 | 5.9 | 0.3 | 90.9 | 8.7 | 0.4 | 82.2 | 16.5 | 1.3 | 90.6 | 9.0 | 0.4 |
| 1925 | 95.0 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 96.1 | 3.8 | 0.1 | 88.9 | 9.9 | 1.2 | 95.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 |
The intensive campaign against bodily uncleanliness and verminous infestation,
which the school medical service has waged, has had its effect not only upon the
school children themselves but upon the homes, as is shown by these mostsatisfactory
figures.
been reduced progressively to 9.9 per cent. Body vermin in 1913 were found in one in 50 of all entrant children, in 1925 they are found in only one in a thousand.
| Bovs. | Girls. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound. | Slight caries. | Severe caries. | Sound. | Slight caries. Severe caries. | |
| 2. | 3. | 2. 3. | |||
| 1915 | 47.6 | 38.2 | 14.2 | 47.1 | 39.1 13.8 |
| 1920 | 53.2 | 32.7 | 141 | 52.7 | 33.6 13.7 |
| 1925 | 54.3 | 31.4 | 14.3 | 53.4 | 32.9 13.7 |
Condition of
teeth of
entrant
infants as
shown by
medical
inspection.
Figures for teeth in 1913 based upon the same classification are unfortunately
not available. In the ten years 1915 to 1925 there has been a definite increase of
6 or 7 per cent. in the number of entrants found on medical inspection to have
sound teeth. This may well be due to more hygienic care and feeding on the part
of some of the parents, owing to the influence of the maternity and child welfare
centres, and to the propaganda work of the school dentists who address the mothers
at school dental inspections. On the other hand there appears to be no reduction
of the percentage of children with very bad condition of the teeth, as shown in the
third column.
14 per cent. of the entrant infants continue to arrive at school with extensive
dental caries (four or more teeth obviously decayed) a condition accompanied in
many cases by oral sepsis leading to much general ill health.