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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Table II (continued) (6) Classification of the nutrition of children inspected during the year in the routine age groups
| Age group | Number of children inspected | A (Excellent) | B (Normal) | C (Slightly subnormal) | D (Bad.) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Percentage | No. | Percentage | No. | Percentage | No. | Percentage | ||
| Entrants | 48,089 | 7,442 | 15.28 | 38,204 | 78.47 | 3,000 | 6.16 | 43 | 0.09 |
| Age 7 years | 40,017 | 5,507 | 13.76 | 31,217 | 78.01 | 3,260 | 8.15 | 33 | 0.08 |
| „ 11 | 43,135 | 6,843 | 15.86 | 33,572 | 77.83 | 2,701 | 6.26 | 19 | 0.05 |
| „ 13¾ (leavers) | 48,224 | 9,997 | 20.73 | 36,296 | 75.27 | 1,919 | 3.98 | 12 | 0.02 |
| Total, elementary | 180,065 | 29,789 | 16.54 | 139,289 | 77.36 | 10,880 | 6.04 | 107 | 0.06 |
| „ special sch. | 1,044 | 153 | 14.66 | 779 | 74.61 | 109 | 10.44 | 3 | 0.29 |
Table III (a) Exceptional children in London in 1937
| Classification | At certified special schools | At public elementary schools | At other institutions1 | At no school or institution | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blind children | 109 | — | 2 | 4† | 115 |
| Partially sighted children | 527 | 24 | 32 | — | 583 |
| Deaf children | 476 | — | 2 | 3‡ | 481 |
| Partially deaf children | 137 | 4 | 5 | — | 146 |
| Mentally defective children— Feeble-minded children | 3,009 | 3§ | 20 | 82 | 3,040 |
| Epileptic children— Children suffering from severe epilepsy | 94 | — | 6 | 100 | |
| Physically defective children— Tuberculous children— Pulmonary | 372 | — | 20 | — | 392 |
| Non-pulmonary | 640 | — | 18 | — | 658 |
| Delicate children | 2,605 | 5,857|| | 16 | — | 8,478 |
| Crippled children | 1,699†† | — | 22 | — | 1,721 |
| Children with heart disease | 2,010 | — | 39 | — | 2,049 |
* Undergoing treatment in general hospitals, etc.
† At time of report were awaiting admission to schools for the blind.
‡ Under enforceable age.
§ At time of report were awaiting admission to M.D. schools.
†† Includes 17 children at Northern hospital (post-encephalitis lethargica) and also non-cardiac cases
of chorea, rheumatism, etc.
|| Of these 40 children were suitable for admission to open-air schools (O) but their parents refused
to allow their transfer to such schools or the children were awaiting admission. The
remainder could not be certified as incapable by reason of physical defect of receiving proper
benefit from instruction in the ordinary public elementary schools, but they might have
benefited from a period of open-air treatment.
** Three under instruction at home and five under enforceable age.