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

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London County Council 1931

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

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77
As was pointed out in last year's report, the large number of idiots, imbeciles
and feeble-minded ineducable children ascertained in the year 1930 was due to the
fact that, during that year, certain children, who had been for some years under the
care of the guardians in institutions under the Metropolitan Asylums Board Order,
1911, had to be re-examined and notified through the education authority in order
to bring them within the scope of the Mental Deficiency Act. These represent the
accumulation during a period of years of cases which, prior to the coming into force
of the Local Government Act, 1929, had been withdrawn from the purview of the
local education authority.
Examination of employees in the education service and scholars.

During the year 8,534 entrants to the permanent education service, and candidates for teaching awards and for scholarships, presented themselves for examination. The following table indicates the numbers submitted for each grade and the results of the examinations:—

Status.Number examined.Number fit.Number rejected.Number who withdrew after being referred for remediable defects or were not due for reexamination until 1932.
MaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemale
Permanent service48658647257810444
Teaching awards2918042767682111325
Scholarships—
Myopes11171117
Others3,2483,1913,1603,1471537341
4,0364,5983,9194,51027189070
Total*8,6348,42945160

* Including 18 permanent service cases (9 male, 9 female), 72 teaching awards (19 male, 53 female)
and 10 Scholarships (5 male, 5 female) referred from 1930.
The causes of rejection were mainly defects of vision, unsatisfactory general
health and morbid conditions of the heart. In addition to the above, 155 scholars
(58 males, 97 females) were examined with a view to determining their fitness to
continue to hold awards. The total number of examinations was 10,531, an increase
of 9-5 per cent, on the previous year. Some of the candidates were referred for
one or more remediable defects.
There were also referred to the public health department, 3,768 special cases in
which medical advice was required. This figure includes 3,208 teachers (653 men,
2,555 women) and 560 cases of employees (166 men, 394 women) including those in
institutions transferred to the Council under the Local Government Act, 1929.
In connection with recommendations governing sick leave to teachers, 2,055 or
68 per cent, of the teachers concerned were over 40 years of age ; this number shows
an increase of 2 per cent, on that of the previous year.
In all 40 home visits were paid during the year in connection with these cases.
During the year all applicants for admission to the Council's courses of physical
education were examined, the number being 302. Of these 19 were deemed to be
either temporarily or permanently unfit to undergo the training.
Children suffering from Cardiac Disease.
Dr. Slot has reported on the school aspects of cardiac children with particular
reference to those in special schools for the physically defective.
The schools visited in the course of inquiries were to be found in widely separated districts,
as far apart as Camberwell, Peckham, Greenwich, Islington and Chelsea, and consequently
covered children of varied social standing. Schools in different districts dealt with children from
a different class of home, and of a different standard of mentality and tradition. In the majority
Cases
specially
referred.
Teachers of
physical
education.