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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242
The Incidence of some Common Defects compared for Various
Schools.
Eight schools were taken and divided into three classes,
according to the economic and social status of the majority of the
children attending. In this division we had the assistance of the
Education Department.
With regard to nutrition, children regarded as definitely subnormal
only are included. For Adenoids and Enlarged Tonsils,
children referred for observation or treatment; and for Rickets
those showing definite signs of having suffered from this trouble
earlier in life. The figures are percentages of the total children
examined.
| Nutrition. | Nose and Throat defects. | Signs of Rickets | Condition of the Teeth. Percentage sound | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entrants | Intermed. | Leavers. | Entrants. | Intermed. | Leavers. | Entrants. | Intermed. | Leavers. | Infants. | Boys. | Girls. | |
| Winterbourne | 7.1 | 2.6 | 17.0 | 13.7 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 30.1 | 61.9 | 45.4 |
| Norbury Manor | 0.0 | 7.2 | ... | 5.2 | 5.0 | ... | 2.6 | 0.7 | ... | ... | 37.0 | 27.1 |
| Portland | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 28.0 | 13.6 | 7.4 | ... | 1.4 | ... | 62.3 | 39.5 | 42.1 |
| Ingram | 7.8 | 17.6 | 11.4 | 9.8 | 7.2 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 26.3 | 32.0 | 37.1 |
| Waddon | 16.0 | 18.7 | ... | 12.8 | 7.8 | ... | 1.6 | 0.6 | ... | 19.8 | 34.0 | 21.9 |
| West Thornton | 22.6 | 16.1 | 13.5 | 16.1 | 8.5 | 7.2 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 26.6 | 21.3 | 27.4 |
| Elmwood | 1.8 | 4.8 | nil | 21.0 | 21.4 | 5.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 23.6 | 30.1 | 31.2 |
| Whitehorse | 21.2 | 12.8 | 10.2 | 21.2 | 8.5 | 6.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 21.8 | 33.1 | 32.1 |
Two schools, viz., Elmwood and Portland, were taken by one
of the medical officers, whilst the other six were all taken by
another medical officer. The influence of the personal equation is
seen in the nutrition figures; obviously the first medical officer
took a lower standard as his normal than the second. Norbury
Manor and Waddon did not furnish "Leaver" groups.
Making allowances for the personal equation, it is seen that
the poorer schools furnish a higher number of children who are
under-nourished and who have defects of the nose and throat and