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 1964
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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G irls
| Age group | Girls | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not wearing spectacles | Wearing spectacles | |||||||
| 616 | 6/9 | 6/12 or worse | Referred for treatment | 6/6 | 6/9 | 6112 or worse | Referred for treatment | |
| Under 7 | 88.8 | 6.3 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| 7 | 79.2 | 10.6 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| 8 | 79.8 | 9.5 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| 9 | 78.8 | 8.9 | 2.1 | 7.0 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| 10 | 80.6 | 8.1 | 5.4 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| 11 | 75.2 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 7.8 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 5.7 |
| 12 | 76.2 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 4.6 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 5.4 |
| 13 | 76.6 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 8.1 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 5.4 |
| 14 | 76.4 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 7.6 | 5.4 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 6.7 |
| 15 and over | 72.3 | 4.8 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 9.0 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 8.9 |
| Total | 77.3 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 4.6 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 4.9 |
note : The percentages of children referred for treatment differ slightly from those quoted in the defects for
treatment table on page 116 in which the percentages were based on the number of children medically inspected.
Personal hygiene
Health surveys—The number of comprehensive health surveys conducted in 1964 was
six per cent, less than that conducted in 1963. There was an increase of 11 per cent, in the
number of selective health surveys.
No. found Pupils found to be verminous
No. examined verminous % of No. examined
Comprehensive health surveys* 274,128 2,659 0.97
1293,770) (2,401) (0.82)
Selective health surveys* 157,390 3,150 2.00
(141,130) (2,557) (1.81)
* 1963figures in brackets.
The number of individual children found to be verminous at both types of survey in 1964
was 3,135, an increase of 279 over the number in 1963 and a reversal of the downward
trend of recent years.
Percentage found to be verminous at health surveys
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
Comprehensive surveys 0.93 0.90 0.83 0.82 0.97
Selective surveys 1.24 1.77 1.83 1.81 2.00
The introduction in 1960 of Lorexane No. 3 shampoo throughout the county swiftly
brought about a decline in the percentage of children found at comprehensive surveys to
be verminous, but 1964's figure shows a sharp increase and a return to just above the
1960 level. Most of this increase was accounted for by abnormal figures in division 3; but
even excluding this division the percentage for the rest of the county was 0.86, again a
reversal of the trend of recent years.
Selective surveys have also indicated an increase in the percentage of infestation. These
of course are concentrated on schools whose ' infestation ' record indicates a need. If the
frequency and number of the selective surveys is increased (16,260 more were carried out
in 1964 than in 1963) and the examinations restricted to known likely cases, it is to be
expected that this percentage would increase without necessarily indicating that the
incidence of infestation is greater. Excluding division 3, the percentage for the rest of
the county was 1.94 for selective surveys. It should be noted that the overall trend has
been for the proportion found verminous to increase at selective surveys since their
introduction in 1959/60.
120