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 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AT ROUTINE MEDICAL INSPECTIONS, 1949 (Percentages of Children examined)
| Condition | Entrants | Intermediates | Leavers | Other Ages | All Groups | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | |
| Circulatory System | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| Pulmonary System | 3.5 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| Skin Disease | 2.4 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| Defects of Nose and Throat | 25.5 | 21.6 | 9.5 | 12.9 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 14.3 | 13.3 |
| Enlarged Cervical Glands | 3.3 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| Squint | 3.3 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| External Eye Disease | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Defective Vision | 1.3 | 1.4 | 8.2 | 8.3 | 9.4 | 9.3 | 6.4 | 8.8 | 5.8 | 6.3 |
| Defective Hearing and other Ear Defects | 2.9 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| Speech Defects | 2.1 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| Dental Disease (more than four decayed) | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Dull and Backward | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Malnutrition | 6.8 | 8.1 | 7.0 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 5.6 | 6.1 | 6.3 |
| Deformities | 18.1 | 14.4 | 16.6 | 19.4 | 9.8 | 12.7 | 17.9 | 14.7 | 15.6 | 15.0 |
| Nervous System | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Developmental— | ||||||||||
| Hernia | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | — | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Other | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.4 | — | 1.3 | 0.1 |
| Psychological— | ||||||||||
| Developmental | 0.9 | 0.1 | — | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | — | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Stability | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Other Defects | 5.0 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 5.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
UNCLEANLINESS.
Cleanliness inspections are carried out by the School Nurses
each term in every school, so that all pupils are brought under
review. The finding of slight infestation in unexpected offenders
leads to the issue of an informal letter to the parents, setting out
a method of treatment and offering a supply of suitable emulsion.
The appropriate formal notices are sent to the parents of children
previously found verminous. Steel combs are sold or loaned
where necessary. Endeavour is made to serve notices on the
parents by the School Nurse personally, so that she has opportunity
to emphasise that infestation may be a family complaint
and not limited to the school child, and the need for constant
cleanliness to prevent relapses. A cleansing station is provided
for the treatment of scabies and very occasionally deals with other
verminous conditions.
Number of children inspected for Cleanliness (first
inspection 65,848
Number of children inspected (subsequent inspections)
3,479