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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68
Scabies
All cases of scabies are notifiable to the borough medical officers of health. The
pre-war rise in the incidence of scabies from 8,389 cases treated in 1936 to 14,292 in
1938 was accentuated dining the early war years till the peak year of 1942, when there
were 23,119 cases treated although the school population was less than half that in
1938. Since then the incidence has fallen year by year from 14,196 cases in 1945,
12,894 in 1946 and 6,001 in 1947 until 1948, when the number of cases treated was
3,051.
During the year the particulars of the cases treated at the Council's treatment
| centres were:— | Individuals | Treatments | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 1948 | 1947 | 1948 | |
| For vermin | 29,519 | 28,573 | 48,467 | 48,796 |
| For scabies | 6,001 | 3,051 | 22,890 | 10,897 |
| For impetigo | 533 | 379 | 1,814 | 1,291 |
| Totals | 36,053 | 32,003 | 73,171 | 60,984 |
Choice of
employment
Owing to the small number of leavers in 1947 (due to the raising of the leaving
age) the 1948 figures as to percentages of pupils with defects limiting their choice of
employment are more strictly comparable with 1946 than 1947. Comparison of
1948 with 1946 shows a slight reduction in the overall figure and a reduction in
practically all the conditions listed as contra-indications. Vision comes at the head
of the list for both boys and girls, followed by heavy manual work for boys and
prolonged standing for girls.
The details are shown in Table 20 in the appendix.
Following-up
and
reinspection
The following-up of children referred by the school doctors for observation or
treatment is an essential part of the School Health Service, and is carried out by
members of the children's care organisation. Each referred child is re-inspected by
the school doctor a few months after the medical examination to allow time for
treatment to be carried out. If necessary, further re-inspections are made to ensure,
as far as possible, that every child gets adequate treatment. The follow-up results
calculated from the doctors' inspection findings are the criterion of the effectiveness
of the treatment services.
The number of defects for which pupils were re-inspected for defects were:—
| Number of defects (other than dental) | Number of dental defects | Total defects | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First re-inspection | 26,051 | 23,853 | 49,904 |
| Second and subsequent inspections | 18,082 | 13,271 | 31,353 |
| 44,133 | 37,124 | 81,257 |
The percentages of follow-up results showed that treatment was obtained as
follows:— 1938 1946 1947 1948
Excluding dental defects 84.5 88.8 90.5 89.4
Including dental defects 82.0 83.5 87.1 87.0
The percentage not receiving treatment is small, but there are always some
children who, because of movement to another area or of the neglect of their parents,
do not obtain treatment. The neglectful parents are pressed as much as possible,
the help of the N.S.P.C.C. being invoked where necessary.
Medical treatment
The Council arranged comprehensive free treatment at school treatment centres,
and until 5th July, 1948, at the Council's hospitals, and at certain voluntary hospitals,
for the treatment of specified defects. The scheme also included the free supply and