London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Croydon 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
This page requires JavaScript
163
RINGWORM.
As in former years, children suffering from ringworm attended
the clinic held at the Town Hall on Wednesday and Saturday
mornings. In November the clinic was transferred to the new
centre at 228, London Road, and since that date treatment of these
cases has been carried out there.
The following table shows the number of cases supervised by
the Public Health Department during 1914:—
TABLE E. xiii. RINGWORM, 1914.
| Total number outstanding Jan. 1st, 1914 | Scalp | 45 | ||
| Body | 4 | |||
| — | 49 | |||
| Total number reported during 1914 | Scalp | 133 | ||
| Body | 88 | |||
| — | 221 | |||
| — | 270 | |||
| Total number freed during 1914 | Scalp | 127 | ||
| Body | 89 | |||
| — | 216 | 216 | ||
| Total number outstanding Jan. 1st, 1915 | Scalp | 51 | — | |
| Body | 3 | |||
| — | 54 | 54 |
The more serious cases continue to diminish in number, and
the total number of new scalp cases during 1914 was 133, as compared
with 124 in 1913 and 172 in 1912. The number of children
excluded from school at the end of the year was 54, as compared
with 49 twelve months previously. Of the 133 new scalp cases,
119 were treated at the Town Hall (56 by application of X-rays,
63 by drugs). Altogether, 1,168 attendances were made by
children at the Town Hall in connection with the treatment of this
disease. 26 cases of ringworm of the skin were also treated.
There is still a certain number of long standing severe cases,
in which the parents have refused the application of X-rays, and in
which neither directions for treatment nor precautions against
spread are adequately observed by parents. These continue to be
sources of infection.
TABLE E. xiv.
| Treatment and freeing weeks. | X-Rays treatment result 1914. No. of cases. |
|---|---|
| 2 — 4 | 4 |
| 4 — 6 | 12 |
| 6 — 8 | 13 |
| 8 — 10 | 8 |
| 10 — 12 | 5 |
| 12 — 14 | 7 |
| 14 — 16 | 1 |
| 16 — 20 | 3 |