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
Haringey 1965
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Haringey]
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Periodic Medical Inspections
Periodic medical inspections are carried out four times during the pupils' school life - on school
entry; during the first year in the primary junior school; during the first year in the secondary school; and
during the last year at school.
The changing population and the number of school children arriving from overseas will make it
necessary toreconsider the method of examination of school entrants, with possible screening for diseases
such as tuberculosis. It would also seem that the questionnaire issued to parents before school medical
inspection is inadequate, andthis is in process of revision. Already, in areaswitha heavy Greek-speaking
population, and where the language barrier has led to difficulty, the situation has been improved by the
issue of a facsimile questionnaire in the Greek language.
An experiment was carried out during the year in selective school medical examination. In this
system, children are selected for examination by the medical officer as a result of answers to questionnaires
sent to the parents, teachers and school nurses. It is intended to continue such experiments in order to
determine the most efficient way of carrying out school medical examinations.
As a further experiment, routine weighing and measuring of school children has been abandoned,
except in sample schools for statistical purposes.
The school population for the Borough on the 20th January 1966 was 33,156, as shown in the following table:-
| Primary Schools and Nursery Classes | 18,489 |
| Nursery Schools | 220 |
| Secondary Modern Schools | 8,890 |
| Secondary Grammar Schools | 5,258 |
| Special Schools: | |
| Physically Handicapped | 90 |
| Blanche Nevile School for the Deaf (including classes for the partially hearing) | 113 |
| Suntrap Residential Open Air School | 96 |
| 33,156 |
The following table shows the number of children inspected by years of birth and the classification of their physical condition:-
| Year of Birth | Number of pupils inspected | Physical condition of Pupils inspected | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satisfactory | Unsatisfactory | ||||
| Number | % | Number | % | ||
| 1961 & Later | 45 | 45 | 100 | - | - |
| 1960 | 1535 | 1533 | 99.8 | 2 | |
| 1959 | 1687 | 1684 | 99.8 | 3 | 0.2 |
| 1958 | 445 | 442 | 99.3 | 3 | 0.7 |
| 1957 | 1233 | 1232 | 99.9 | 1 | 0.1 |
| 1956 | 702 | 701 | 99.8 | 1 | 0.2 |
| 1955 | 214 | 211 | 98.6 | 3 | 1.4 |
| 1954 | 1347 | 1346 | 99.9 | 0.1 | |
| 1953 | 1711 | 1708 | 99.8 | 3 | 0.2 |
| 1952 | 714 | 712 | 99.7 | 2 | 0.3 |
| 1951 | 863 | 859 | 99.5 | 4 | 0.5 |
| 1950 & earlier | 2402 | 2399 | 99.8 | 3 | |
| Total | 12898 | 12872 | 99.8 | 26 | 0.2 |