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 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barking]
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having been thoroughly tested and having been found absolutely safe and rather
more effective than Salk vaccine (the injection variety). The actual oral vaccine
did not, however, become available for use before the end of 1961.
SPECIALIST SERVICES
Eye Clinics
Dr. R.F. Jamieson, M.B., Ch.B., D.O.M.S., continues to attend Central,
Porters Avenue and Woodward Clinics. Appointments are made as far as possible
to suit patients and parents.
Cases dealt with were as follows:-
| External and other diseases(excluding errors of refraction and squint) | 52 |
| Errors of refraction (including squint) | 1,158 |
| Total | 1,210 |
The number of pupils for whom spectacles were prescribed was 718.
Miss Lewis, Orthoptist, (whose sanctum is at present in Upney Clinic) treated
153 school children during 1961.
Infant Vision Testing
In my last annual report I mentioned that we had found the Sjogren Hand Test
not entirely reliable as a means of testing infant visions, and had been obliged to
resort to the E-test which is excellent but not quite so readily accepted by very
young children. We have now planned a piece of investigation involving over 500
children which should help us to amend the test so as to make it a reliable method
of testing the vision of infant school entrants.
The work should be completed by summer 1962 and Dr. Sjogren himself and
Messrs. Hamblin of ;more Street, London W.l, the makers of the Sjogren Hand
lest, have shown considerable interest in our work. If practicable, the latter
""end to amend their est to conform with our results.
sibling Visions
I also mentioned my 1960 Annual Report that we were investigating the
Incidence of vision defects in certain families.
The results of this investigation were accepted for publication in the
Medical Officer and appeared in their issue of 1st September. Briefly, our work
confirmed that a follow up of vision among the school-age brothers and sisters of
all children with known defective vision was well worthwhile, and by doing this
a number of unrecognised cases of visual defect are unearthed.
It is true that, staff and time permitting, it would be better still to carry out
an annual two-yearly vision inspection of all school children, but this is not
possible at the moment.
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