London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Barking 1943

[Report of the School Medical Officer for Barking]

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10. UNCLEANLINESS.
The question of cleansing was included in my Report to the
Education Committee in January 1943, and dealt chiefly with your
deoision not to build a Cleansing Station as, in my opinion, you
rightly held that the duty of cleansing verminous children rested
primarily with the parent.
It may well be that owing to abnormal conditions in the
early days of the war parents were unable to devote sufficient time
to oleansing of childrens heads. Whatever the cause, there is no
doubt that such cases increased between the years 1939 and 1942.
Records for the year 1939 show that 25 per 1,000 children
inspected were found to be unclean, whereas in 1941 and 1942 the
figure had increased to 36 per 1,000 despite the reduced numbers of
individual children inspected, owing to evacuation etc.,
During 1943 we accelerated our efforts to obtain the cooperation
of the parents, and urged them to keep constant watch on
the heads of their children. This seems to have met with success,
as the number of individual children found uncle am fell to
33 per 1,000 and I am hoping that this improvement will continue.

CLEANLINESS INSPECTIONS AND RESULTS.

Year 1941.Year 1942.Year 1943.
Number of examinations of children in the schools by School Nurses15,34221,31118,388
Number of individual children found unclean.53874622
Number of individual children cleansed under Section 87 (2) and (3) of the Education Act, 1921.22722
Number of uncleanliness findings.7821,023866
Percentage of uncleanliness findings.5.1%4.8%4.7%

11. NURSERY CLASSES.
Since tho commencement of hostilities these Classes have
grown so much that practically all your Schools cater for the reception
of children between the ages of three and five, where adequate rest and
reasonable discipline are provided.
Medical examination of children at each Nursery Class is
made when Medical Officers visit the School for Routine Inspection,
in addition to -Which your Health Visitors and School Nurses visit the
Classes regularly for the purpose of examining each child as to
cleanliness and to follow-up any defect which may be brought -to their
notice. Children are thus imbued at an early age with the need for
cleanliness etc.,
At the close of 1943, there were Six hundred and ninety seven
children attending these Classes,
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