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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Routine audiometer testing—The numbers of children given 'rapid-sweep' audiometer
tests during 1962 are as follows:
Pupils given screening tests 56,249
Pupils failing screening tests given pure tone tests 3,653
Pupils failing pure tone tests referred to otologists 1,501
Speech therapy—By the end of the year 257 sessions a week were being held, 157 in
51 clinics and 100 in special schools. During the year 1,232 pupils were ascertained as
requiring speech therapy, whilst 524 were discharged from treatment and 187 ceased to
attend. The number of pupils under treatment at the end of the year was 2,541, whilst 304
were on the waiting list.
Child guidance units—Two new units—at Hoxtow and Roehampton—were opened in
May, 1962. Details of the work done during the year at the seven child guidance units
maintained by the Council follow:
| Patients | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| At 1 January, 1962 On waiting list: | At 31 December, 1962 On waiting list: | ||
| 165 | (a) awaiting first interview | 207 | |
| (6) interviewed and awaiting treatment | 78 | 115 | |
| In attendance: | In attendance: | ||
| 392 | (a) active | 387 | |
| (b) under review* | 429 | (6) under review* | 471 |
| Applications received | 973 | Applications withdrawn | 215 |
| Cases closed | 642 | ||
| 2,037 | 2,037 | ||
Student health scheme
The student health service was started at Barrett Street technical college at the beginning
of the 1960/61 session (see page 112 of my report for 1960). In 1961 it was decided to extend
the scheme to the City of Westminster and Brixton day colleges.
The following table gives statistics of the work done in 1962:
| Barrett Street College | City of Westminster College | Brixton College | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of new students under 19 years returning questionnaires | 191 | 200 | 278 | |||
| No. invited for interview after scrutiny of completed questionnaire | 56 | 66 | 27 | |||
| No. of students seen by doctor: | ||||||
| (a) following invitation—first attendances | 56 | 24 | 23 | |||
| —subsequent attendances | 18 | 26 | 11 | |||
| (b) voluntary—first attendances | 81 | 32 | 66 | |||
| —subsequent attendances | 38 | 20 | 37 | |||
| — | 193 | — | 102 | — | 137 | |
| No. of students referred for treatment | 69 | 35 | 34 | |||
| No. of doctor's sessions | 30 | 27 | 19 | |||
| No. vaccinated against smallpox | 297 | Nil | 250 | |||
| No. X-rayed—mobile unit | 407 | Nil | — | |||