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 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Of the children medically inspected 0.6 per cent. were noted for treatment of squint, the same as in 1958, 1959 and 1960. The percentage ranged from 1.3 in the entrant group to 0.1 in the leaver group.
| Age group | Boys | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not wearing spectacles | Wearing spectacles | |||||||
| 6/6 | 6/9 | 6/12 or worse | Referred for treatment | 6/6 | 6/9 | 6/12 or worse | Referred fortreatment | |
| Under 7 | 82.0 | 11.0 | 5.3 | 7.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| 7 | 78.2 | 12.0 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| 8 | 80.9 | 9.5 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| 9 | 80.7 | 8.7 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| 10 | 80.9 | 5.9 | 8.2 | 7.5 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
| 11 | 80.9 | 5.3 | 6.2 | 6.0 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| 12 | 80.3 | 5.1 | 6.2 | 6.0 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.9 |
| 13 | 80.4 | 5.2 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 2.3 |
| 14 | 80.5 | 4.0 | 5.8 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.9 |
| 15 and over | 78.2 | 4.3 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 4.0 |
| Total | 79.8 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.7 |
| Girls | ||||||||
| Under 7 | 78.8 | 12.2 | 6.5 | 9.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| 7 | 76.4 | 13.1 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| 8 | 79.2 | 10.6 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| 9 | 77.2 | 11.2 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.4 |
| 10 | 79.4 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| 11 | 75.7 | 6.6 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.7 |
| 12 | 77.6 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 4.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 3.4 |
| 13 | 77.2 | 6.0 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 3.2 |
| 14 | 77.1 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 4.1 |
| 15 and over | 74.3 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 5.1 |
| Total | 76.7 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 6.8 | 4.5 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.4 |
note: The percentages of children referred for treatment differ slightly from those quoted in the defects for
treatment table on page 75 in which the percentages were based on the number of children medically inspected.
Personal hygiene
As stated last year, the hygiene inspection of each child once a term was replaced in
January, 1959 by an annual comprehensive health survey of each pupil, plus such additional
health surveys as may be thought necessary or desirable at selected individual schools or
departments. Also, from January, 1960 the use of Lorexane No. 3 shampoo was brought
into use throughout the county under a revised cleansing scheme. However, since the type
of action to be taken in any particular case is at the discretion of the school nurse/health
visitor concerned, in the light of her knowledge of the family, it was decided that from
1 January, 1961 no attempt need be made to distinguish between 'first' and 'second'
notices and that the distinction between 'verminous heads', 'nits only', and 'other
verminous cases' be also discontinued. In consequence, the details of the findings at the
1961 surveys and the work done under the cleansing scheme are presented in a slightly
different form from that used in 1960.
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