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 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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One of the Council's medical officers visits all the schools, except those marked
with an asterisk in the above list which provide their own medical officer.
School nurses visit daily all the schools except that of the Women's university
settlement, Blackfriars, where other arrangements of a satisfactory character are
made.
The following is a statistical summary of medical examinations and treatment at the 19 nursery schools which were open throughout the year, 1937 :—
| Total average roll | 1,346 |
| Total average attendance | 1,136 |
| Total number of visits made by medical officers | 245 |
| Total number of examinations of children | 3,902 |
| Total number of individual children seen | 1,942 |
| Total number of individual children with defects | 1,097 |
Table 44
| † Defects | For observation | Referred for treatment | Treated | Percentage treated of those referred |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rickets | 51 | 55 | 47 | 85 |
| Nose and throat | 191 | 201 | 158 | 79 |
| Eyes and eyelids | 3 | 30 | 30 | 100 |
| Vision and squint | 8 | 39 | 37 | 95 |
| Ears | 11 | 67 | 64 | 96 |
| Lungs | 27 | 60 | 55 | 92 |
| Heart | 60 | 7 | 5 | 71 |
| Skin | 9 | 110 | 108 | 98 |
| Teeth | 17 | 562 | 409 | 73 |
| Other defects | 89 | 173 | 169 | 98 |
| Total | 466 | 1,304 | 1,082 | 83 |
† Many cases of minor ailments arising between medical inspections were treated by the school nurses.
Average number of medical examinations per child 2.01
Average number of defects per child 1.61
Percentage of children examined found to be suffering from one
or more defect 56.5
Nursery
classes
The three-year programme 1935-38 provided for the establishment of experimental
" nursery classes " in connection with infants' departments.
The first nursery class under this provision was opened in June, 1936. at
Senior-street school, Paddington, to accommodate 40 children, and two similar
classes were started at the Raleigh school at Stepney later in the year. A further
nursery class was established during 1937 at Crondall-street school, Hoxton.
The nursery classrooms face south and have french windows opening on to the
playgrounds. There is indoor sanitation and provision for bathing. Milk, apples
and rusks are provided. Cod-liver oil was also available for the children. The babies
are attended to by the school nurse daily, and all are medically examined once
a term.
A study was conducted whereby, at Senior Street school the physical progress
of the infants attending the nursery class was compared with that of the infants
of corresponding age attending an ordinary babies' class at the school. A similar
comparison was carried out between the children attending the nursery classes at
the Raleigh school and those of the same age attending the neighbouring Old Church
Road nursery school.
Senior Street
nursery class
A school nurse attends daily and the following is an account of her work:—
The average time spent daily was one hour, from 9.0 to 10.0 a.m. The daily routine was as
follows: (1) Distributed cod-liver oil to each child; (2) General inspection of each child, i.e.
(a) ears, eyes and nose, (b) tongue, (c) glands of neck, (d) fingers and limbs for blemishes, (e)
general appearance (in doing so, it was necessary to gain their confidence and, therefore, their
readiness to impart information of any ailments unseen, or additional to previous ones); (3) After
the general inspection, attending to any minor ailments.