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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Prophylaxis —The system of recording medical inspection findings by years of birth permits an analysis of the percentage of school pupils, according to age, who have received prophylaxis, based on the findings at periodic general medical inspections. These figures may be compared with the separate estimates, prepared for the Ministry of Health, given on pages 68, 69 and 70.
| Age group | Number of pupils inspected | % vaccinated against smallpox | % immunised against diphtheria | % immunised against whooping cough | % vaccinated against poliomyelitis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or less | 8,166 | 80.0 | 90.8 | 89.2 | 84.7 |
| 5 | 28,667 | 77.6 | 86.7 | 83.8 | 82.2 |
| 6 | 10,778 | 741 | 81.0 | 76.7 | 77.1 |
| 7 | 9,300 | 770 | 86.0 | 78.6 | 83.5 |
| 8 | 20,501 | 75.8 | 89.2 | 80.1 | 85.2 |
| 9 | 5,655 | 71.5 | 83.0 | 73.2 | 78.3 |
| 10 | 2,525 | 69.3 | 71.2 | 59.8 | 69.2 |
| 11 | 11,502 | 72.6 | 88.7 | 71.9 | 85.0 |
| 12 | 16,954 | 69.9 | 88.2 | 64.8 | 82.3 |
| 13 | 5,496 | 69.0 | 83.6 | 60.2 | 77.9 |
| 14 | 4,508 | 69.9 | 81.9 | 53.9 | 75.9 |
| 15 and over | 31,221 | 70.1 | 84.9 | 57.9 | 81.5 |
Medical treatment of schoolchildren
Treatment statistics —The number of sessions, new cases and total attendances at school. children's clinics during 1964 (including sessions held in hospital premises) were as follows:
| Type of clinic | Sessions | New cases | Attendances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor ailments (nurse) | 13,784 | 39,689 | 275,902 |
| Minor ailments (doctor) | 1,688 | 15,256 | |
| Special investigation | 2,015 | 2,274 | 14,643 |
| Dental | 26,389 | 75,545 | 217,923 |
| Vision | 4,452 | 22,458 | 63,738 |
| Orthoptic | 1,660 | 859 | 5,237 |
| Ear, nose and throat | 473 | 1,832 | 4,347 |
| Audiology | 520 | 1,873 | 4,442 |
| Rheumatism (supervisory) | 79 | 34 | 567 |
| Enuresis | 125 | 109 | 695 |
Handicapped pupils
New assessments —During 1964 the numbers of new assessments of pupils for special educational treatment were as follows:
| Day | Boarding | |
|---|---|---|
| Blind | 1 | 3 |
| Partially sighted | 40 | — |
| Deaf | 28 | 1 |
| Partially hearing | 51 | 1 |
| Delicate | 456 | 237 (a) |
| E.S.N | 912 | 86(b) |
| Epileptic | — | 5 |
| Maladjusted | 414 | 225 |
| Physically handicapped | 146 | 10 |
| Speech defect | 1,280 (c) | 28(d) |
| Dual/multiple defect | — | 108 |
(a) Including seven diabetic/delicate, 22 already E.S.N., one already partially sighted and one already maladjusted.
(b) Including seven already delicate.
(c) All these children received speech therapy at clinics or in schools they already attended.
(dj Includes only one child recommended specifically for admission to boarding school for children suffering
from speech defects. The other 27 children received speech therapy at clinics or in the boarding schools they
already attended.
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