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 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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86
Dr. J.
Hamilton
McDroy's
enquiry.
Dr. J. Hamilton Mcllroy, working in the London schools, has during the past
year examined by refraction the condition of the eyes of 1,335 unselected children
comprising 407 Jewish boys, 438 Gentile boys, 155 Jewish girls and 335 Gentile girls.
The number as yet examined is unfortunately insufficient to settle the points at issue,
but from a preliminary report which Dr. Mcllroy has made some important deductions
may be drawn. Her results are set out in the following two tables:—
Visual Acuity Results (Percentages).
| Age group. | Normal vision. (Not worse than 8.) | Moderately subnormal vision (ft). | Poor vision, (ft or worse.) | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better eye. | Both eyes. | Better eye. | Worse eye. | Better eye. | Worse eye. | |||||||||||||||
| Jews. | Gilts. | Jews. | Gnts. | Jews. | Gnts. | Jews. | Gnts. | Jews. | Gnts. | Jews. | Gnts. | |||||||||
| Boys. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | 82 | 78 | 73 | 74 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 27 | 22 | ||||||||
| 8 | 63 | 90 | 47 | 83 | 16 | 5 | 19 | 2 | 21 | 5 | 34 | 15 | ||||||||
| 9 | 68 | 91 | 56 | 84 | 20 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 31 | 11 | ||||||||
| 10 | 75 | 91 | 58 | 83 | 8 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 17 | 4 | 28 | 8 | ||||||||
| 11 | 73 | 85 | 56 | 76 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 11 | 35 | 19 | ||||||||
| 12 | 75 | 88 | 59 | 75 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 5 | 28 | 20 | ||||||||
| 13 | 65 | 90 | 54 | 70 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 25 | 6 | 36 | 18 | ||||||||
| Girls. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | — | 86 | — | 72 | — | 14 | — | 14 | — | 0 | — | 14 | ||||||||
| 8 | — | 84 | — | 82 | — | 10 | — | 3 | — | 6 | — | 15 | ||||||||
| 9 | 83 | 91 | 72 | 79 | 11 | 9 | 17 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 9 | ||||||||
| 10 | 90 | 77 | 75 | 67 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 17 | 23 | ||||||||
| 11 | 75 | 81 | 65 | 70 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 33 | 17 | ||||||||
| 12 | 68 | 87 | 58 | 77 | 16 | 4 | 16 | 9 | 16 | 9 | 26 | 14 | ||||||||
| 13 | 70 | 85 | 64 | 80 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 21 | 10 | ||||||||
Retinoscopy Percentages. (Mean of 4 Meridians).
| Age group. | em. | hi. | h2. | Mi. | lt2. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jews. | Gnts. | Jews. | Gnts. | Jews. | Gnts. | Jews. | Gnts. | Jews. | Gnts. | |
| Boys. | ||||||||||
| 7 | 18 | 30 | 82 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 31 | 38 | 56 | 52 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 32 | 26 | 54 | 69 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | 36 | 39 | 44 | 58 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | 37 | 43 | 45 | 48 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 12 | 30 | 41 | 49 | 53 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 13 | 31 | 39 | 44 | 55 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Girls. | ||||||||||
| 7 | — | 22 | — | 71 | — | 7 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 8 | — | 34 | — | 60 | — | 3 | — | 3 | — | 0 |
| 9 | 39 | 30 | 61 | 68 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 33 | 33 | 60 | 53 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | 39 | 43 | 41 | 51 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 12 | 40 | 26 | 45 | 62 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 39 | 44 | 46 | 45 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Nomenclature.—
Emmetropia (EM) when the mean is between +0.5 Dioptre and -0.5 Dioptre.
Low Hypermetropia (H1) when the mean is greater than +0.5 Dioptre and less than +3
Dioptres.
High Hypermetropia (Ha) when the mean is equal to +3 Dioptres or greater.
Low Myopia (M,) when the mean is greater than -0.5 Dioptre and less than —3 Dioptres.
High Myopia (M2) when the mean is equal to or greater than —3 Dioptres.