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 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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66
Vision
The table below shows the percentage of children with normal eyesight (with glasses if worn) in 1948 with comparable figures for 1938, 1946 and 1947:—
| Age Group | 1938 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 years old:— | ||||
| Boys | 63.8 | 79.0 | 80.0 | 79.2 |
| Girls | 63.6 | 77.4 | 77.4 | 78.2 |
| 11 years old:— | ||||
| Boys | 70.8 | 80.1 | 80.7 | 81.7 |
| Girls | 67.8 | 77.2 | 76.7 | 78.1 |
| Leavers:— | ||||
| Boys | 71.4 | 79.3 | 80.7 | 80.9 |
| Girls | 68.9 | 76.2 | 77.3 | 76.7 |
| Other ages:— | ||||
| Boys | — | 79.3 | 80.8 | 81.2 |
| Girls | — | 77.1 | 76.8 | 76.4 |
There has been a diminution in the number of pupils who, at routine inspections,
are found to have defective vision which has not already been adequately corrected.
Nutrition
The Ministry of Education's new classification of the general condition into (1)
good, (2) fair, and (3) poor, was introduced in 1947 and has replaced the previous
classification of the doctor's assessment of nutrition into (1) excellent, (2) normal,
(3) sub-normal and (4) bad. The interpretation of the new terms has rendered
impossible any comparison between the figures for 1947 onwards and those of previous
years.
Taking the Ministry of Education's ruling of the equivalent value of these two
classifications as
A—Good 1—Excellent
B—Fair 2—Normal
C—Poor 3 and 4—Slightly sub-normal
and malnutrition
the London figures are (in percentage of children examined):—
| Old classification | 1 Excellent | 2 Normal | 3 and 4 Sub-normal and bad |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | 16.2 | 77.2 | 6.6 |
| 1946 | 18.0 | 76.4 | 5.6 |
| New classification | A—Good | B—Fair | C—Poor |
| 1947 | 42.0 | 54.3 | 3.7 |
| 1948 | 40.8 | 56.0 | 3.2 |
There were no conditions operating between 1946 and 1948 to account for the
great disparity between the percentage classification, the apparent improvement
being far in excess of the slight change in the nutritional status which actually occurred.
It is, however, satisfactory to note that a smaller percentage of children have been
classified by the doctors as of "poor" general condition than in the corresponding
group previously assessed as of "sub-normal" and "bad" nutrition.
An alternative basis for comparison is to take the percentage of pupils referred
for treatment or observation on account of nutrition, and these were for 1938, 1946,
1947 and 1948, respectively, 1.4, 2.0, 1.6 and 1.5. Anything which involves the
personal opinion of an examiner is unreliable, but the doctor can, and does, take into
account general alertness, flabbiness and poise, etc., in arriving at a correct
classification. Height and weight records are facts not opinions, and therefore are
subject to closer analysis. It is hoped that full records of height and weight will
be available again in 1949.