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 1969
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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The proportion of parents who attended the school medical inspections
has shown minor fluctuations around a stationary level of 53%, and the
slight improvement upon this figure in 1969 is welcome. It is the first
medical inspection where the attendance of parents is so important, since
it is at this examination that most defects are found, and any problems in
adjustment to school life are most likely to be identified and remedied.
The proportion of parents who attend this examination continues to be high,
but there has been a slight decline in this proportion during each of the
last five years. The reasons for this decline are not clear; the reason most
frequently given is that the mother is out at work. In any event mothers are
particularly urged to be present during this first examination, since the
information which they can provide for the medical officer probably exceeds
that which can be obtained from the physical inspection of the child.
| 1969 | 1968 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | |
| Entrants | ||||
| Leavers | ||||
| Others | ||||
| Total Numbers of Children examined | ||||
| Total Attendance of Parents | ||||
As a result of medical inspections in all schools, a total of 6,476
defects were receiving or were thought to require medical treatment. This
total is almost identical with that for 1968, so that the proportion of
defects discovered per child examined again shows a slight reduction.
This is mainly due to reductions in the number of orthopaedic defects which
were recorded. A further 6,097 defects were referred for observation by the
school medical officers. A summary of the defects which were found has
been recorded in Table 3. The proportion of defects which were discovered
in every hundred children examined has been recorded in Table 4.
Personal Hygiene
The further reduction in the number of cleanliness inspections, together
with an increase in the number of cases detected, again confirms the
effectiveness of the revised procedure which has been introduced to deal
with this small but persistent problem. It is disappointing to record an increase
of 11.1% in the number of cases detected, but evidence suggests
that the increased prevalence of infestation is by no means confined to
Croydon. Similar findings have been recorded in a number of widely separated
urban areas.