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
Erith 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Erith]
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7
Ear Diseases and Defective Hearing.
There was once again little variation in the numbers of
children suffering from diseases of the ear.
Reference to Table IV will show that 43 defects were
treated during the year.
Dental Defects.
The extended dental scheme has been in operation since
September, 1935, thus allowing a review, over a 12 month
neriod, of the existing scheme.
It will be noted upon reference to Table IV, Group V, that conservation work has received the fullest attention possible from the Schools Dentist, and, as predicted in my last report, the extraction conservation ratio, which was hitherto far too high, has now assumed a more reasonable proportion.
| Year. | No. of fillings. |
|---|---|
| 1931 | 215 |
| 1932 | 195 |
| 1933 | 178 |
| 1934 | 226 |
| 1935 (extended service in operation during last quarter of year) | 394 |
| 1936 (first full year of extended service) | 791 |
I have included the number of fillings done in previous
years to show the result of the extended dental service which
came into operation in September, 1935. The number of
sessions devoted to school dental work was increased from 8 to
18 per month. It will be seen that about four times as much
conservation work has been done under the new arrangement.
As I have pointed out many times this conservation work must
be regarded as the main function of the school dental service
and extractions must not be allowed to reach such proportions
as to interfere with this aim.
Visual Defects and External Eye Disease.
The following Notes have been supplied by the Ophthalmic
Surgeon (Dr. N. Howard Allen).
During the last year the Ophthalmic and Minor Ailment
Departments have been carried on in conjunction. The children
seen in the Ophthalmic Dept. being either 44 old cases " attending
for periodic inspection, or new cases referred to the
Ophthalmic Clinic on account of defective vision or Diseases
of the Eye. At each Session appointments are made so that
at each successive clinic 10 children attend for Refraction
after having had the pupils of the eye dilated with a suitable
mydriatic—these children are drawn from both old and new
cases.