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 1963
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Enlarged tonsils and adenoids show a continuing decline over the last four years. Psychological defects and enuresis have increased over the last year.
| 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers examined | 163,598 | 164,056 | 153,406 |
| Skin diseases | 1.19 | 1.14 | 1.17 |
| External eye diseases | 0.54 | 0.48 | 0.50 |
| Defective hearing | 0.90 | 0.99 | 104 |
| Otitis media | 0.51 | 0.49 | 0.49 |
| Enlarged tonsils and adenoids | 3.95 | 3.72 | 3.59 |
| Defective speech | 0.87 | 0.89 | 0.94 |
| Enlarged cervical glands | 0.63 | 0.66 | 0.63 |
| Heart and circulation | 0.87 | 0.86 | 0.94 |
| Lung disease (not T.B.) | 1.21 | 1.25 | 1.38 |
| Orthopaedic defects | 3.52 | 3.31 | 3.37 |
| Defects of nervous system | 0.43 | 0.43 | 0.45 |
| Psychological defects | 1.08 | 1.06 | 1.40 |
| Anaemia | 0.12 | 0.11 | 0.12 |
| Enuresis | 1.77 | 1.96 | 2.23 |
A child can be noted for more than one defect.
Attendance of parents and care committee representatives at periodic inspections—As in
previous years, the percentage of medical inspections at which a parent is present decreases
as children get older. The overall percentage was 49.6, slightly higher than in 1962 when it
was 49.2 per cent.
Care committee representatives attended 84.7 per cent. of all periodic general inspections.
In the infant and junior school age groups the figure was over 90 per cent. but only about
77 per cent, in the secondary school age groups. This was due, no doubt, to the fact that
care committees do not function in all secondary schools.
| Age group | Number of pupils inspected | Parent present % | Care committee representatives present at inspection % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or less | 7,874 | 93.2 | 78.5 |
| 5 | 27,811 | 87.2 | 92.5 |
| 6 | 9,670 | 78.8 | 93.2 |
| 7 | 8,643 | 73.5 | 92.5 |
| 8 | 18,648 | 70.6 | 94.2 |
| 9 | 4,812 | 60.7 | 93.2 |
| 10 | 2,051 | 50.6 | 93.2 |
| 11 | 11,636 | 36.1 | 76.0 |
| 12 | 18,538 | 29.3 | 79.7 |
| 13 | 6,340 | 24.5 | 82.2 |
| 14 | 5,311 | 9.3 | 81.9 |
| 15 and over | 32,072 | 5.5 | 74.6 |
Physical condition of pupils
The percentage of pupils whose condition was classified as satisfactory and unsatisfactory
and the percentage who were noted as requiring treatment or observation on
79
F