London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Ilford 1920
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ilford]
This page requires JavaScript
91
children from the same class, absent from school, were found to
be nursed at home for a "sore throat." These were in fact
suffering from a bad type of diphtheria, and were removed to
Hospital. I recommended the immediate closure of this school.
IJ'hds was carried out and resulted in a cessation of the disease.
(c) Measles and German Measles.—790 cases were notified
from the schools in 1920, compared with 645 during 1919. In
February there was such an outbreak at the Uphall Junior Mixed
JSchool compared with the other schools in the district, 'that I
recommended its closure, which was followed by satisfactory
results.
The following table shows the incidence of Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria and Measles, including German Measles, in the Ilford schools since 1915:—
| Scarlet Fever. | Diphtheria. | Measles. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | 136 | 66 | 851 |
| 1916 | 83 | 82 | 1821 |
| 1917 | 57 | 104 | 1115 |
| 1918 | 49 | 115 | 151 |
| 1919 | 165 | 78 | 645 |
| 1920 | 154 | 130 | 790 |
(d) Chicken Pox and Whooping Cough.—172 cases of
Whooping Cough occurred in 1920, as compared with 15 in
l919; and 116 cases of Chicken Pox, as compared with 263 in
1919.
These figures do not call for any social remarks.
(e)
| No. of Cases at beginning of 1920. | No, of cases reported during 1920. | Total. | Remedied during 1920. | No. of cases under observation at end of 1920. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringworm :— | |||||
| Scalp | 15 | 39 | 54 | 39 | 15 |
| Body | 2 | 34 | 36 | 33 | 3 |
| 17 | 73 | 90 | 72 | 18 | |
The X-ray treatment by the Operator employed by the Education
Committee continues to be most satisfactory. No case of
permanent loss of hair occurred, though dermatitis resulted in a
few cases.
A total of 32 school children were X-rayed during the year.
When parents fully realise the very chronic character of ringworm
of the scalp, unless treated by X-rays, the difficulty at
present experienced in some cases of obtaining consent to its use
will be overcome.