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
East Ham 1932
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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145
It will be noted that the low incidence in the number of
children suffering from uncleanliness is fairly well maintained, and
great credit is due to the School Nurses, whose untiring efforts
have been entirely responsible for ensuring this diminished
incidence in case of uncleanliness, but there is no doubt that
systematic and practical instruction in hygiene by the teachers
would tend to eliminate completely such conditions.
In addition to the routine general cleanliness survey, some
hundreds of children have been examined by the School Nurses at
the request of the Authorities of the Children's Country Holiday
Fund and other voluntary organisations. The examinations have
been conducted just prior to the departure of the children for
summer holiday camps,
(6) Minor Ailments.
Such cases, frequently recognised in the early stages, have been immediately referred to one of the School Clinics.
| Chief Minor Ailments | Discovered at Routine Medical Inspection. | Discovered by Teachers and Nurses and sent to Clinic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 1932 | 1931 | 1932 | |
| Scabies | 3 | — | 11 | 15 |
| Impetigo | 11 | 13 | 232 | 206 |
| Conjunctivitis | 7 | 4 | 85 | 93 |
| Blepharitis | 2 | 11 | 41 | 32 |
| Ear Disease | 55 | 76 | 149 | 149 |
| Ringworm (Scalp) | — | — | 2 | 4 |
| Ringworm (Body) | 1 | 3 | 23 | 13 |
(c) Tonsils and Adenoids.
3.73 per cent. of the children examined during the year were
referred for treatment for "tonsils and adenoids," either separately
or combined, as compared with 4.6 per cent. in the year