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 1938

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

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56
Schools for
the blind
A classification has been made by Dr. McVail of all children in the two Council
schools for the blind in the winter of 1938. She has submitted the following
report:—
The total number of children concerned was 100, of whom 60 were boys and 40 were girls.
Ages ranged from 6 to 16 years.

Table: For purposes of comparison, classification has been made under headings similar to those in my report of the spring of 1931, which was included in Vol. III, part II of the Annual Report for that year (p. 66), and which dealt with the 218 children then in the Council's schools for the blind.

For purposes of comparison, classification has been made under headings similar to those in my report of the spring of 1931, which was included in Vol. III, part II of the Annual Report for that year (p. 66), and which dealt with the 218 children then in the Council's schools for the blind.

DefectNumber and percentage
Congenital and hereditary defects—
Albinism649
Nystagmus8
Microphthalmia7
Buphthalmia2
Aniridia6
Cataract8
Dislocation of lenses1
Coloboma4
Retinitis pigmentosa1
Others6
Ophthalmia neonatorum14
Interstitial keratitis1
4 probably specific
Choroido-retinitis51 possibly specific
Other choroiditis21 probably congenital defect
1 cause unknown
2 probably specific
2 hydrocephalus
Optic atrophy94 associated with general diseases
1 cause unknown
Superficial keratitis3
Macular disease1
Myopia5
Traumatism43 optic atrophy
1 sympathetic
Glioma1
1 irido cyclitis occurred shortly after birth
Others6(Wasserman negative)
2 associated with measles
1 associated with diphtheria
1 associated with meningitis
1 associated with leontiasis ossium
Total100

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Under the heading of congenital and hereditary defects there are 49 cases in the total of 100
blind. To these might be added two or three children in other groups who were almost certainly
born with defect. This compares with 38.99 per cent, in the 1931 group of 218 children, and
24.04 per cent, in an analysis of 1,855 blind children of school age given by Mr. Bishop Harman
in the report of 1922 of the Departmental Committee on the Causes and Prevention of Blindness.
The percentage increase from 1922 to 1931 and from 1931 to 1938, is, of course, relative, and is
largely due to a substantial fall in the incidence of blindness due to venereal disease in its several
forms. The actual number of children blind from congenital defect has fallen from 85 in 1931 to
49 in 1938.
The percentage of cases of ophthalmia neonatorum is 14 compared with 21.1 in 1931 and
19.75 in Mr. Harman's group examined before 1922. The actual number of children in Council
schools blind from this disease is 14 in 1938, compared with 45 in 1931, a striking fall.