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 1945
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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| Condition. | Entrants. | Intermediate. | Leavers. | Other Ages. | All Groups. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | |
| Cleanliness: | ||||||||||
| (Percentage Clean) | ||||||||||
| Head | 99.9 | 99.6 | 99.4 | 98.1 | 100.0 | 9.89 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 99.8 | 99.0 |
| Body | 99.8 | 99.8 | 99.9 | 99.5 | 99.9 | 100.0 | 100:0 | 100.0 | 99.9 | 99.8 |
| Clothing (satisfactory) | 99.7 | 99.7 | 99.9 | 99.7 | 98.7 | 98.5 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 99.4 | 99.2 |
| Footgear (satisfactory) | 99.9 | 99.8 | 99.5 | 99.7 | 98.7 | 98.5 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 99.4 | 99.3 |
| Nutrition (normal) | 84.5 | 84.8 | 88.5 | 88.2 | 91.4 | 93.4 | 89.1 | 87.5 | 88.1 | 88.9 |
| Delects: | ||||||||||
| Circulatory System | 8.7 | 8.5 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 7.2 | 8.8 | 10.9 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 7.8 |
| Pulmonary System | 4.0 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 1.0 | - | - | 3.3 | 1.8 |
| Skin Diseases | 2.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 4.0 | 2.2 | - | 2.1 | 2.4 |
| Defects of Nose and Throat | 38.6 | 35.2 | 18.2 | 25.1 | 17.6 | 15.0 | 26.1 | 31.2 | 24.9 | 25.1 |
| Enlarged Cervical Glands | 12.9 | 15.3 | 8.4 | 10.8 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 6.5 | - | 8.2 | 9.9 |
| External Eye Disease | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 4.4 | - | 1.2 | 1.9 |
| Defective Vision | 7.3 | 5.4 | 8.9 | 12.0 | 11.2 | 12.9 | 6.5 | - | 9.1 | 10.0 |
| Defective Hearing | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 2.2 | - | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Speech Defects | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | - | - | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Dental Disease (more than four decayed) | 4.8 | 7.5 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 2.4 | - | - | 3.3 | 4.7 |
| Dull and Backward | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 17.4 | 6.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
Taking all the groups examined, subnormal nutrition was recorded in 11.5 per cent of the
children as contrasted with 11.8 per cent, in 1944.
| Condition. | Exclusions during 1945. | Percentage of total exclusions. | Exclusions during 1944. | Percentage of total exclusions. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringworm | 24 | 0.90 | 27 | 0.89 |
| Verminous Conditions | 605 | 22.75 | 665 | 22.04 |
| Impetigo | 106 | 3.99 | 90 | 2.98 |
| Scabies | 263 | 9.89 | 185 | 6.13 |
| Scarlet Fever | 209 | 7.80 | 146 | 4.84 |
| Measles (inc. German) | 697 | 20.21 | 601 | 19.92 |
| Diphtheria | 19 | 0.71 | 6 | 0.20 |
| Whooping Cough | 155 | 5.83 | 320 | 10.66 |
| Chicken Pox | 196 | 7.37 | 529 | 17.87 |
| Mumps | 237 | 8.91 | 115 | 3.81 |
| External Eye Disease | 24 | 0.90 | 93 | 3.08 |
| Sore Throat | 12 | 0.45 | 22 | 0.73 |
| Other Causes | 112 | 4.21 | 208 | 6.89 |
| Total | 2659 | - | 3017 | - |
The figures for exclusions are not related in any way to the
figures obtained in routine medical inspections.
These figures show an increase in Impetigo, Scabies, both
skin conditions, which are often associated with overcrowding
and unclean surroundings. Also an increase in Measles, Scarlet
Fever and Mumps, and a very slight increase in Diphtheria.
Whooping Cough, and External Eye Disease showed a decrease.