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
Edmonton 1919
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Edmonton]
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9
SPECIALLY-REFERRED CENTRE.
The room in use is the same ill-adapted one at the Education Office as in
the four previous years. Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings are
devoted to this work. This work will be absorbed into the Minor Ailments
section of the School Clinic in 1920.
The attendances of specially-referred cases and absentees due to illness
were 4,082, compared with 3,566 for 1918. Of these, 1,537 were first attendances,
and the balance was subsequent ones.
Arrangements for following-up Children with Defects.
The following visits were paid in " following-up " cases reported to me by the School Medical Inspector, or Head Teachers, or Attendance Officers.
| January. | February. | March. | April. | May. | June. | July. | August. | September. | J October. | November. | December. | TOTAL. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. Corp | 9 | 9 | 33 | 21 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 23 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 214 |
| P. Capt. | 4 | 9 | 22 | 21 | 9 | — | 15 | 3 | 14 | 25 | 6 | 12 | 140 |
| P. Capt. and Corp. | 16 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 3 | — | — | 22 |
| Neglect | 9 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 24 | S | 15 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 99 |
| Dirt | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 4 |
| Scabies | 3 | 6 | 2 | — | 3 | — | 5 | — | 12 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 51 |
| Impetigo | — | 6 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 33 |
| Ringworm | — | 7 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 55 | |
| Vision | — | 3 | — | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 31 |
| Otorrhœa | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 4 |
| Chorea | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
| Mental Deliciency | — | — | 6 | — | 1 | — | — | — | —. | — | 1 | — | 8 |
| Enlarged Glands | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 19 |
| Pvorrhœa | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 6 |
| Tonsils | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 9 |
| Clothing | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 4 |
| Under Weight | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Doubtful Cases | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 14 | |
| Enquiries | 5 | — | 18 | 7 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 105 |
| TOTALS | 47 | 55 | 96 | 85 | 59 | 38 | 90 _ | 28 | 86 | 106 | 66 | 61 | 817 |
MENTALLY DEFECTIVE CHILDREN.
The County Council is "the Local Authority" under the Mental Deficiency
Act of 1913, which came into force on 1st April, 1914. The "local education
authority" is the Edmonton Education Committee, in so far as my Council
may have transferred their powers under the Act to that Committee.
Your certifying officers, Dr. Strong and myself, on receipt of information
from the head teachers, summon the child and mother for prolonged examination
and enquiry, lasting for an hour, or over, in each case. We are thus enabled
to answer, more or less, the 68 questions in Schedule " F." It concludes