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
Croydon 1930
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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238
The Minor Ailments Clinic.
This Clinic is held each morning at the Lodge Road Clinic.
One nurse is in attendance for the whole session and a doctor
attends daily to see cases referred to him. He does not spend his
whole morning here, however. The scope of the treatment given
is clearly shown by the table. Medical cases or cases requiring
surgical measures are referred to their private doctors. The aim
of this clinic is to render first aid and to treat the minor disabilities
peculiar to school children, and to advise should further
measures be necessary.
On the other hand, the average number of attendances made
before ringworm of the scalp was cured fell very markedly. The
fact that X-Ray treatment was once more available contributed
towards this.
Table XXVI.
| 1930. | 1929. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complaint. | Cases. | Attendances. | Average No of Attendances per case. | Cases | Attendances. | Average No. of Attendances per case |
| Ringworm of Scalp | 31 | 197 | 6.3 | 30 | 666 | 22.2 |
| ,, Body | 28 | 413 | 14.7 | 46 | 220 | 4.8 |
| Scabies | 37 | 288 | 7.8 | 21 | 85 | 4.0 |
| Impetigo | 276 | 2284 | 8.3 | 176 | 694 | 4.0 |
| Other Skin Diseases | 132 | 449 | 3.4 | 88 | 150 | 1.7 |
| Otorrhœa and other Ear defects | 231 | 2854 | 12.4 | 179 | 982 | 5.5 |
| External Eye Disease | 132 | 781 | 5.9 | 118 | 398 | 3.4 |
| Miscellaneous | 325 | 2062 | 6.4 | 283 | 852 | 3.0 |
| 1192 | 9328 | 7.8 | 941 | 4047 | 4.3 | |
From this table it is seen that the average number of attendances
per child rose from 4.3 to 7.8; the sectional increase being
most noticeable for ringworm of the body. Otorrhœa is one of the
most difficult of all minor conditions in school children to cure,
this being reflected in the large number of attendances made for
the remedying of this defect.
Impetigo still remains troublesome, whilst the cases of scabies
attending have also shown a small increase.