London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
This table demonstrates very clearly three effects of the introduction of the concept of
cleansing at home with Lorexane No. 3 shampoo:
(i) the marked increase in the percentage of pupils returning to school clean, which
has more than doubled;
(ii) a corresponding reduction in the percentage of pupils voluntarily attending bathing
centres; and
(iii) the marked drop in the number of statutory notices served.
Bathing centres—
The number of cases of infestation with vermin treated at bathing centres showed a reduction of 51 per cent. compared with 1959 and the number of treatments a reduction of 63 per cent. There can be little doubt that these reductions are directly attributable to the introduction of Lorexane.
| 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils treated | 762 | 697 | 768 | 660 | 637 |
| Pupils treated | 9,669 | 8,175 | 7,473 | 7,025 | 3,441 |
| Treatments needed | 14,770 | 13,787 | 13,647 | 11,799 | 4,345 |
| Pupils treated | 2,776 | 2,433 | 1,478 | 1,187 | 1,020 |
| New cases | . | 17 | 22 | 20 | 10 |
Employment of schoolchildren
Medical examinations were carried out divisionally of 5,288 children with a view to the
issue of employment certificates, and 447 medical examinations were carried out at the
County Hall in respect of employment under licence in public entertainments.
Choice of employment
The percentage of school leavers advised against particular forms of employment was 12.9 per cent. of those inspected compared with 13.8 per cent. in 1959. For boys the figure fell from 15.5 per cent. in 1959 to 14.6 per cent. and for girls from 11.9 per cent. to 11.1 per cent. As in recent years, normally acute vision and eye strain headed the list of contraindications followed by colour vision (boys only) and heavy manual work:
| Contra.indications | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| Occupations involving: | ||
| Heavy manual work | 226 | 172 |
| Sedentary work | 63 | 48 |
| Indoor work | 11 | 10 |
| Exposure to bad weather | 124 | 128 |
| Wide changes of temperature | 79 | 72 |
| Work in damp atmosphere | 119 | 114 |
| Work in dusty atmosphere | 148 | 96 |
| Much stooping | 45 | 67 |
| Climbing | 101 | 92 |
| Work near moving machinery or moving vehicles | 92 | 87 |
| Prolonged standing, much walking or quick movement from place to place | 112 | 161 |
| Eye strain | 760 | 727 |
| Normal vision | 987 | 607 |
| Normal colour vision | 407 | 8 |
| Normal use of hands | 16 | 21 |
| Exposure of hands to moisture, chemicals, etc. | 38 | 43 |
| Handling or preparation of food | 70 | 62 |
| Normal hearing | 75 | 58 |
note: The total number of contra.indications is greater than the number of pupils with contra.indications
since an individual may be noted for two or more contra.indications.
101