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London County Council
\NNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 1932
VOL. III (Part II)
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL MEDICAL OFFICER FOR THE YEAR 1932
By Sir Frederick Menzies, K.B.E., M.D., F.R.C.P., D.P.H., F.R.S.E., County
Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer.
Introduction.
During the year 1932 the work of the school medical service continued uninterruptedly.
For many important criteria of the health and well-being of London
school children the best figures attained since the inauguration of school medical
inspection some twenty-five years ago were recorded ; for example, the percentages
of children with serious dental decay, adenoids and enlarged tonsils, running
ears, hardness of hearing, and lack of personal cleanliness were all the lowest ever
recorded. Having regard to the difficult economic conditions under which so many
families are living special attention has been paid to problems of nutrition. It is
remarkable that the nutrition of the children has been so well maintained, the number
recorded as subnormal having increased since 1931 by only one per thousand, and,
except for 1930 and 1931, being the smallest yet found. When the 1932 figures
for nutrition for all the children subjected to routine inspection at the statutory
age groups are analysed, it is found that the nutritional condition of the eight- and
twelve-year-old children is better than in the previous year, and the small increase
in subnormal nutrition which is shown when the figures are aggregated is due entirely
to the school entrants. This would appear to be associated with the recent epidemic
of measles, a disease which notoriously leaves children in a debilitated condition.
Important tests of the value of school medical work are the condition of the
leavers and the percentage of the defects, found at any age, which are adequately
treated. Speaking generally, the figures relating to these matters are quite satisfactory.
The leavers are in better health than their predecessors of a few years
ago, and, of the children in whom defects were discovered at routine inspections,
81.6 per cent. were undergoing treatment or were discharged before the end of the
year as no longer requiring treatment.
There is little of special moment to record in connection with the incidence
of infectious diseases in schools. Diphtheria has been less prevalent in the last two
than in other recent years, but scarlet fever increased from the low level which
occurred in 1931. The usual biennial epidemic of measles occurred in the winter
of 1931-32, and small-pox is still troublesome, though the tendency is definitely
towards decline and the disease is still of a very mild type. The number of cases
of scabies is increasing (see page 13). There has been a considerable extension
during the year of the scheme for the immunisation against diphtheria of the children
in the residential schools.
The scheme for the control of rheumatism makes unabated progress. In this
section of the work the most important development was the provision of a considerable
number of additional beds for children suffering from this disease in consequence
of the enlargement of Queen Mary's hospital for children, Carshalton.
In an effort to reduce the length of this report and thereby to promote economy
in the printing bill, not so many special reports as heretofore are included. Particular
attention may, however, be directed to the following:—Report on the place of
detention, where the number of children admitted is increasing considerably (page
53); the work of the special classes for myopes in central schools and reference
to a forthcoming report on the development of myopia in children (page 35); enquiry
into nutrition and the provision of meals (page 37); scheme for the adoption of
children (page 20); the disinfection of sand-pits (page 45).
In closing this introduction reference must be made to the retirement from the
service of Mr. Macleod Yearsley, the Council's consulting aural surgeon. A brief
summary of his pioneer work for the deaf child is given on page 52.
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