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

Barking 1933

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barking]

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91
(13) BLIND, DEAF, DEFECTIVE AND EPILEPTIC CHILDREN.
(a) You are naturally anxious to know if and whether all the defective children
in your area are ascertained and brought to your notice. I think I can assure you that
this is so.
A unified health service means that all the health visitors, school nurses, sanitary
inspectors and doctors work together, discuss their work together, and bring to one
another's notice anything of such importance as a blind, deaf or otherwise defective
child. So, also, the Infectious Diseases Hospital and the Maternity Hospital are
constantly supplying information on this and allied questions. In addition, the head
teachers of the schools and the investigation officers are in constant touch with us.
I am also indebted to my colleagues in general practice and at the hospitals in London
and nearby for the very helpful information and advice they have given me on numerous
occasions.
Your next concern is the method of dealing with these children when they are

Table: ascertained. The following table shows the number of children who have attended at the Faircross Special School—in the Open-Air, Physically Defective and Mentally Defective Sections—and, in addition, in other parts of the Report will be found figures as to how many children have been admitted to the Brookfield Orthopaedic Hospital and elsewhere for orthopaedic conditions:—

ascertained. The following table shows the number of children who have attended at the Faircross Special School—in the Open-Air, Physically Defective and Mentally Defective Sections—and, in addition, in other parts of the Report will be found figures as to how many children have been admitted to the Brookfield Orthopaedic Hospital and elsewhere for orthopaedic conditions:—

Open-Air SectionPhysically Defective SectionMentally Defective Section
No. on Register on 31.12.321254065
No. admitted during 1933671344
No. discharged during 1933951520
No. on Register on 31.12.33973889

Table: Hereunder are particulars of the number of children maintained by the Authority in special schools outside the district as at December 31st, 1933:—

Hereunder are particulars of the number of children maintained by the Authority in special schools outside the district as at December 31st, 1933:—

Particulars of School.No. of Cases.
Frederick Road Deaf Centre (Day), West Ham3
Barclay School for Blind (Residential), Brighton1
Bigod's Hall School for Mentally Defective Children (Residential), Dunmow1
St. Patrick's Open-Air School (Residential), Hayling Island1