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
Ealing 1942
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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Other operations included temporary dressings to relieve pain
in temporary teeth, scaling and gum treatment, impression taking
for orthodontic work and visits for adjustments of appliances every
two weeks, dressing fractured and exposed front permanent teeth.
This latter form of treatment involves a certain number of visits
to complete the work satisfactorily. Altogether 1,007 other
operations were given to the children requiring this form of treatment.
Owing to the reduction in the number of sessions worked by
the Dentists, the sessions given to inspecting the leavers were
curtailed. It was found at these inspections that 529 children were
leaving with sound mouths and 191 were leaving with incomplete
treatment. This latter figure is always with us, as it represents
the parents who are objectors throughout their child's school life.
Orthopaedic Treatment.—The Orthopaedic Surgeon attended
the Mattock Lane Health Centre once every month in 1942.
The Masseuse attended for four sessions each week until the
beginning of May when the number of weekly sessions was increased
to five.
The work of the Orthopaedic Clinic during the year may be summarised as follows :-
Orthopaedic Clinic.
| School children | Children under five | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attendances by Surgeon | - | - | 11 |
| Number of children seen for first time | 93 | 70 | 163 |
| Total number of children examined | 334 | 224 | 558 |
| Attendances by Masseuse | - | - | 216 |
| Number of cases treated | 83 | 37 | 120 |
| Number of attendances by children | 914 | 572 | 1,486 |
| Children admitted to hospital for special treatment | 16 | 3 | 19 |
| Children supplied with special boots or surgical appliances | 31 | 6 | 37 |
Defective Speech.:— The special classes for children
with speech defects were resumed in April, 1942, when Miss R.
Bennett was appointed part-time Speech Therapist.
Two classes were held weekly, one at the Mattock Lane
Health Centre and one at the Ravenor Park Health Centre. The
children were treated individually, each child receiving a lesson
lasting about 25 minutes each week.