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 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Defects noted at routine medical inspections—The overall percentage of children referred
for treatment of a defect was 12.5 in 1960 compared with 12.4 in 1959 and the comparative
percentages for sex and age are shown in the following table. (In total the percentage
referred for vision defects has increased but for other defects has decreased. The percentage
of girls increased, whereas that of boys declined.) Of the age groups containing the largest
numbers (viz. 5, 8, 11, 12 and 15), girls aged 11, 12 and 15 showed a marked increase over
the 1959 figures, largely accounted for by the increase in vision defects. For boys of these
ages, except age 12, a decrease was recorded. Vision defects are dealt with in a later
paragraph.
| Age and sex | All defects | Vision defect | Defects other than vision | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1959 | 1960 | 1959 | 1960 | ||
| 4 and less | Boys | 9.6 | 10.1 | 9.6 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| Girls | 8.1 | 8.9 | 8.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 8.6 | 8.0 | |
| 5 | Boys | 10.4 | 9.6 | 9.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 9.1 | 8.7 |
| Girls | 8.6 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 7.9 | 7.3 | |
| 6 | Boys | 12.9 | 13.2 | 12.5 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 12.1 | 10.8 |
| Girls | 11.3 | 11.2 | 10.7 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.3 | 9.0 | |
| 7 | Boys | 15.4 | 15.7 | 15.2 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 9.2 | 9.2 |
| Girls | 14.1 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 8.5 | 8.2 | |
| 8 | Boys | 16.8 | 14.8 | 14.0 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| Girls | 14.7 | 14.0 | 13.5 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 6.8 | 6.7 | |
| 9 | Boys | 16.8 | 15.5 | 13.7 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 9.0 | 7.1 |
| Girls | 17.8 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 8.4 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 6.2 | |
| 10 | Boys | 18.0 | 17.2 | 16.0 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 10.0 | 7.8 |
| Girls | 17.3 | 16.8 | 15.5 | 8.7 | 9.0 | 8.6 | 7.4 | |
| 11 | Boys | 13.7 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 8.5 | 9.1 | 6.2 | 4.6 |
| Girls | 14.3 | 16.1 | 17.3 | 9.8 | 11.3 | 7.0 | 6.9 | |
| 12 | Boys | 14.3 | 11.6 | 13.0 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 5.0 | 5.2 |
| Girls | 16.4 | 13.9 | 15.3 | 8.8 | 9.8 | 5.8 | 6.2 | |
| 13 | Boys | 17.1 | 14.9 | 13.4 | 9.1 | 8.7 | 6.5 | 5.2 |
| Girls | 17.2 | 17.1 | 16.3 | 9.7 | 11.0 | 8.0 | 6.2 | |
| 14 | Boys | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.1 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| Girls | 13.4 | 12.9 | 13.2 | 9.3 | 10.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | |
| 15 and over | Boys | 12.1 | 11.9 | 11.4 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| Girls | 13.2 | 13.0 | 14.3 | 9.8 | 10.7 | 3.6 | 4.2 | |
| Total | Boys | 13.1 | 12.4 | 12.1 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 6.3 |
| Girls | 12.8 | 12.5 | 12.9 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 6.6 | 6.4 | |
| Total | Both sexes | 13.0 | 12.4 | 12.5 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 6.3 |
note: A child can be noted as requiring treatment of vision and another defect, hence the percentage requiring
vision treatment plus the percentage requiring treatment of other defects exceeds the percentage referred for
treatment of all defects.
The following table shows the percentage of children of all ages noted for treatment or
observation of the defects listed for the years 1958 to 1960. These percentages remain
fairly stable over the period. The slight but steady yearly decrease in the incidence of
enlarged cervical glands continues. The slight upward trends in defective speech and
defective hearing noted last year now appear to have levelled off.
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