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 1940
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AT ROUTINE EXAMINATIONS (percentages)
| Condition | Entrants | Intermediates | Leavers | Other Ages | All GrOUpS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | Gls. | Boys | Gls. | Boys | Gls. | Boys | Gls. | Bays | Gls. | |
| Cleanliness; (percentage clean) | ||||||||||
| Head | 99.9 | 99.4 | 99.6 | 98.3 | 99.6 | 98.6 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 99.7 | 98.9 |
| Body | 99.0 | 99.7 | 100.0 | 99.7 | 99.8 | 99.6 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 99.8 | 99.7 |
| Clothing (satisfactory) | 99.9 | 99.4 | 100.0 | 99.8 | 97.7 | 99.6 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 99.3 | 99.6 |
| Footgear (satisfactory) | 100.0 | 99.3 | 99.6 | 99.8 | 97.7 | 99.8 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 99.2 | 99.6 |
| Nutrition (Normal) | 83.7 | 87.9 | 88.1 | 89.0 | 92.9 | 91.9 | 92.9 | 77.4 | 87.6 | 89.2 |
| Defects. | ||||||||||
| Circulatory System | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 8.0 | 7.1 | 9.4 | 7.3 | 7.2 |
| Pulmonary Sj^stem | 5.9 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.7 | - | - | 3.4 | 1.5 |
| Skin Disease | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 1.9 | - | - | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| Defects of Nose & Throat | 29.1 | 24.8 | 16.1 | 16.9 | 13.8 | 9.0 | 7.1 | 9.4 | 21.2 | 17.8 |
| Enlarged Cervical Glands | 16.1 | 12,1 | 12.9 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 5.0 | - | - | 13.0 | 8.7 |
| External Eye Disease | 1.5 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.6 | - | - | 2.2 | 1.8 |
| Defective Vision | 1.0 | 1.4 | 6.6 | 5.3 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 7.1 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 4.3 |
| Defective Hearing | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | - | - | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Speech Defects | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | - | - | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Dental Disease (more than fear decayed) | 13.5 | 15.3 | 8.4 | 13.2 | 4.9 | 4.4 | – | – | 9.7 | 11.4 |
| Null and Backward | 0.2 | - | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.4 | - | - | 1.1 | 0.4 |
Taking ail the groups examined subnormal nutrition was recorded in 11.5 per
cent of the children as contrasted with 11.2 per cent in 1939.
CHIEF CAUSES OF EXCLUSIONS FROM SCHOOL.
| Condition | Exclusions during 1940 | Percentage of total exclusions | Exclusions during 1939 | Percentage of total exclusions. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringworm - Head | 4 | 0.14 | 1 | 0.0-2 |
| " Body | 2 | 0.07 | 23 | 0.36 |
| Verminous Conditions | 1672 | 58.40 | 997 | 15.51 |
| Impetigo | 83 | 2.90 | 317 | 4.93 |
| Scabies | 127 | 4.44 | 141 | 2.19 |
| Scarlet Fever | 82 | 2.87 | 128 | 19.9 |
| Measles (inc. German) | 461 | 16.10 | 621 | 9.66 |
| Diphtheria | 39 | 1.36 | 141 | 2.19 |
| Whooping Cough | 25 | 0.87 | 634 | 9.86 |
| Chicken Pox | 91 | 3.18 | 1298 | 20.12 |
| Mumps | 42 | 1.47 | 434 | 6.75 |
| Tuberculosis (all forms) | 6 | 0.21 | 16 | 0.25 |
| External Eye Disease | 40 | 1.40 | 831 | 12.93 |
| Sore Threat | 37 | 1.29 | 235 | 4.84 |
| Other Causes | 141 | 4.93 | 618 | 9.60 |
| Cerebro Spinal Meningitis | 11 | 0.38 | ||
| 2855 | 6435 |
The figures for exclusions are not related in any way to the figures
obtained in routine medical inspections.
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