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
Walthamstow 1924
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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46
in the last—accounts for a rather low school attendance in the
Infants' Departments. During 1924, 795 swabs from School
Children were examined at the Public Health Laboratory at Lloyd
Park.
6. CO-OPERATION.
Our thanks are due to the Teachers and Voluntary Bodies in the area for their valuable assistance during the past year, and again we record a ready willingness on the part of the parents to attend at Medical Inspection as the following table shows :—
| Boys. | Girls. | |
|---|---|---|
| Entrants | 79.2 per cent. | 79.5 per cent. |
| Intermediate | 56.6,, | 66.2 |
| Leavers | 25.3 „ | 45.4 |
7. FOLLOWING UP.
If the parent is not present at medical- inspection, notice of
defects requiring remedying is sent to them and if treatment is not
being obtained within a reasonable time, steps are taken to enforce
it, such as a visit by the School Nurse, etc.
During the year the Nurses paid 2,727 visits to the homes in connection with the following:—
| Defective Vision | 499 | Pediculosis | 13 |
| External Eye Diseases | 1 | Otorrhcea and Deafness | 28 |
| Ringworm | 26 | Mumps | 141 |
| Scabies | 1 | Chicken Pox | 109 |
| Impetigo | 56 | Measles | 554 |
| Defective Teeth | 370 | Alopecia | 1 |
| Tonsils and Adenoids | 446 | Sore Throat | 6 |
| Whooping Cough | 376 | Various | 108 |
| Glands | 2 |
The School Attendance Superintendent and his staff do excellent
work. A schedule of all children in the Area is kept at the Attendance
and Bye-laws Department.
When children attain the age of five years and are found not
to be attending school, the parents are visited by the Attendance
Officers and the reason for non-attendance is ascertained.
By this means cases of defective children are discovered and
brought to the attention of the School Medical Staff.
There has been an attendance of 87.4 per cent, in the schools
during 1924, the prevalence of wet weather, Measles and Whooping
Cough accounting for this somewhat low percentage.