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 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The percentage ranged from 1.2 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 for treatment | |
| Under 7 | 78.4 | 11.3 | 7.7 | 10.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 7 | 78.6 | 11.3 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.9 |
| 8 | 81.3 | 9.0 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| 9 | 81.0 | 8.8 | 5.8 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| 10 | 82.6 | 6.9 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| 11 | 81.3 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
| 12 | 79.5 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.4 |
| 13 | 81.4 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 3.0 |
| 14 | 80.8 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 3.7 |
| 15 and over | 77.4 | 4.6 | 6.1 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 4.1 |
| Total | 79.5 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.8 |
The percentage ranged from 1.2 in the entrant group to 0.1 in the leaver group.
| Age group | Girls | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not wearing spectacles | Wearing spectacles | |||||||
| 6/6 | 6/9 | 6/12 or worse | Referred for treatment | 6/6 | 619 | 6/12 or worse | Referred for treatment | |
| Under 7 | 78.3 | 11.4 | 7.6 | 11.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| 7 | 77.4 | 11.8 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| 8 | 80.2 | 9.8 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 1.5 | 1. | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| 9 | 79.9 | 9.3 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| 10 | 79.3 | 9.3 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| 11 | 75.7 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.6 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 4.6 |
| 12 | 76.7 | 6.9 | 6.4 | 7.3 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 4.2 |
| 13 | 75.5 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 4.1 |
| 14 | 75.2 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 6.7 | 5.7 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 5.6 |
| 15 and over | 74.2 | 4.9 | 5.8 | 6.3 | 7.6 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 5.8 |
| Total | 76.5 | 7.3 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 3.9 |
note: The percentages of children referred for treatment differ slightly from those quoted in the defects for
treatment table on page 83 in which the percentages were based on the number of children medically inspected.
Personal hygiene
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.
88