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 1932
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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of new cases was large, but for the past 5 or 6 years the numbers
have found their level around the 400 mark. The following table
shows the number of new cases seen in 1932:—
| Disease. | Under 7 years. | 7—11 years. | 11 plus. | Totals. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | |
| Hypermetropia | 14 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 13 | 42 | 36 |
| Hypermetropic Astigmatism | 9 | 6 | 27 | 25 | 21 | 17 | 57 | 48 |
| Myopia | 3 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 37 | 45 | 52 | 61 |
| Myopic Astigmatism | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 13 |
| Mixed Astigmatism | 2 | — | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 15 |
| Odd Eyes | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Glasses not required | 6 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 20 | 10 |
| Totals | 35 | 27 | 71 | 63 | 93 | 94 | 199 | 184 |
"The following defects were found among those who did not require glasses:—
| Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trachoma | 1 | — | Angio-neurotic oedema of eye-lids | 1 | - |
| Headaches, debility, etc | 7 | 4 | |||
| Nebulae | 1 | 1 | |||
| Styes | 2 | — | Ptosis | 1 | — |
| Cataracts | 1 | 2 | Diplopia | 1 | — |
| Conjunctivitis and Blepharitis | 1 | - | Habit spasm | 1 | — |
| Albino | - | 1 | |||
| Conjunctivitis | 1 | — | |||
| Old ophthalmia Neonatorum | - | 2 | |||
Below is a table showing the types of squint found during 1932 :—
| Squint. | Boys. | Girls. |
|---|---|---|
| Convergent R | 11 | 7 |
| L | 9 | 1 |
| Divergent R | — | 1 |
| L | — | — |
| Occasional R | 2 | — |
| L | 4 | — |
| Alternating | 8 | 4 |
"In addition to the 383 new children seen, retinoscopy was done
for 163 others who require a change of glasses. In all, 2,665 examinations
were made at the Eye Clinic during 1932.
Ear Disease and Hearing.—Minor defects under the above
heading are treated at the Minor Ailment Clinics, the numbers
treated being given in the table relating to the work of these Clinics.