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 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Squint was most prevalent in the entrant group, falling to insignificant residual
level in the leaver group. The overall figure of pupils referred for treatment of squint
was 0.8 per cent. compared with 0.8 per cent. in 1954, 0.9 per cent. in 1953 and 1.1 per
cent. in 1952.
The problem of ensuring that treatment is obtained for pupils with defective vision,
now that this specialist work is the function of the Hospital Eye Service, is discussed
on pages 112 and 113.
Hygiene inspections and the cleansing scheme
For the purpose of assisting at medical inspections, each school health visitor is allocated
to a group of schools, which she also visits in accordance with a rota, to carry out
hygiene inspections. Each school is visited at least once a term, so that each child is
seen at least three times a year.
The hygiene inspection of all pupils is, in two terms out of three, concerned primarily
with the detection of lice or nits. As was explained in the 1953 report (pages 105-6)
in the third term of the school year a more comprehensive inspection is carried out.
The following table gives the results of the personal hygiene inspections carried out during 1955:
| Total Number of Inspections | Pupils found to be verminous* | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | ||
| Boys | 405,946 | 2,704 | 0.6 |
| Girls | 440,214 | 9,373 | 2.1 |
| Infants | 406,215 | 4,888 | 1.2 |
| Total | 1,252,375 | 16,965 | 1.4 |
*Verminous', in this context, has a special connotation since it includes cases with only one 'nit' (ovum) as
well as cases with live vermin present.
For pupils whose personal hygiene is unsatisfactory an 'advice card is issued, which
gives instructions to the parents on cleansing the child at home. A second advice card
gives, in addition a warning of possible statutory action, and invites voluntary attendance
at a bathing centre. If, on re-inspection, the condition is found to be unremedied, then
a statutory notice is sent to the parent. This statutory notice also invites voluntary
attendance at a bathing centre. If, on further re-inspection, the condition is still unsatisfactory,
the pupil is conveyed to a bathing centre for compulsory cleansing. The
cleansing is carried out at seven bathing centres run directly by the Council and, by
arrangement with the Metropolitan Borough Councils concerned, at 21 borough
cleansing stations.
The following table shows the results of the operation of this 'cleansing scheme' during 1955:
| 1. | Number of occasions on which pupils were found to be 'verminous' (as defined) | 16,965 |
| 2. | Number of individual pupils comprising item 1 | 9,613 |
| 3. | Number of advice cards issued | 10,483 |
| 4. | Number of families involved in item 3 | 4,581 |
| 5. | Number of pupils found to be clean after issue of advice card | 1,176 |
| 6. | Number of pupils voluntarily attending bathing centre after advice card | 7,001 |
| 7. | Number of statutory notices issued | 1,532 |
| 8. | Number cleansed voluntarily after statutory notice | 459 |
| 9. | Number compulsorily cleansed after statutory notice | 977 |
The total number of individual verminous pupils treated at bathing centres fell by
2,263 to 9,867, while treatments needed decreased by 3,624 to 15,756.
The steady decline in the numbers of verminous pupils in recent years is shown in
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