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 1930
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Refusals.
compare in its educational effect upon the people, from the point of view of health,
with the intimate talk with the school doctor, the child being present as an object
more absorbingly interesting to the mother than any other could possibly be.
Refusals of parents to submit children for medical inspection are so few in number
as to be almost negligible. During the year 1930, the parents of 112 children (47
boys, 65 girls) refused to allow them to be examined by the Council's assistant
medical officers. The figure for the year 1929, was 108. The 112 children were
distributed in the divisions as follows:—N.E. 10, N. 16, N.W. 31, S.E. 25, S.W. 30.
Ten of these objections were subsequently withdrawn and in nine other cases either
medical record cards were filled in by a private medical practitioner or medical
certificates as to physical fitness were produced.
It is noticed that the number of objections received in the winter is larger than
for the other terms, probably owing to the parents' fear that the children will "catch
cold" when they are undressed for the medical inspection.
Requests for
medical
cards.
During the year 1930 various education authorities asked for the medical
record cards of 439 children who had removed to areas outside London. It was
possible to accede to the requests in 337 cases. Of the remainder it was found that
19 children had not yet been examined, while it was not possible to trace 70 cards.
The remaining 13 cases related to the cards of children who were not attending
school in the County of London.
Children
referred for
treatment.
The number ol children in the tour age groups rererrea tor treatment tor various
ailments (including dental caries) was 94,388. The proportion referred of those
examined was 43.5 per cent., a figure which has remained practically constant for
several years.
Analysis of
results.
The analysis of the results of medical inspection immediately following is limited
to the three statutory age groups in order to facilitate comparison with previous
years. The results of the Council's extra examination of leaver children will be
considered separately.
Nutritional
condition.
In each year. In the following table, in which appears the percentage of under-nourished children found in each year in each age and sex group, it will be seen that they all share equally in their contributions to the general improvement of the whole.
| 1925. | 1926. | 1927. | 1928. | 1929. | 1930. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entrant boys | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| girls | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 41 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Intermediate boys | 8.5 | 8.2 | 7.3 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.3 |
| ,, girls | 7.2 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.1 |
| 12.year.old boys | 6.5 | 6.7 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 5.1 |
| 12 „ girls | 6.3 | 6.3 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.5 |
| Total | 6.3 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 51 | 5.2 | 4.8 |
Cleanliness.
The most striking figures exemplifying the effect of the work of the school
medical service generally are those relating to the personal cleanliness of the children.
The index which has for many years been taken, in London, for comparison is the
condition of the hair of the 12-year-old girls. In 1913, only 6.2 per cent, of the
older girls were completely free from signs of verminous infestation. In 1916 and
1917 the percentage had risen to 70, in 1920 to 75, in 1923 it had climbed to 80, in
1926 to 88.1. In 1927 the percentage was 89.5 and in 1928, for the first time, the