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 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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1G
"The following table shows the defects found in those children seen for the first time and submitted to retinoscopy:—
| Defect. | Under 7 years. | 7-11 years. | Over 11 years. | Secondary Schools. | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | |
| Hypermetropia | 10 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 5 | 3 | - | 1 | 30 | 36 |
| Myopia | 2 | 3 | 15 | 23 | 15 | 19 | 10 | 6 | 42 | 51 |
| Hypermetropic Astigmatism | 6 | 9 | 16 | 26 | 6 | 9 | - | 5 | 28 | 49 |
| Myopic Astigmatism | - | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 6 | - | 1 | 4 | 17 |
| Mixed Astigmatism | - | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 2 | - | 9 | 18 |
| Various | 3 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 11 | — | 1 | 10 | 24 |
| Totals | 21 | 35 | 55 | 91 | 35 | 55 | 12 | 14 | 123 | 195 |
"The following shows the details of the defects classified as 'various' in the above table:—
| Defects. | Boys. | Girls. |
|---|---|---|
| Headaches due to debility, constipation, etc. | 5 | 14 |
| Conjunctivitis and Blepharitis | — | 2 |
| Albuminuria | — | 3 |
| Migraine | 1 | 1 |
| Nystagmus with no visual defect | — | 1 |
| Corneal opacity | — | 1 |
| Birth injury | — | 1 |
| Styes | — | 1 |
| Artificial eye (injury) | 1 | — |
| Photophobia (post-meningitis) | 1 | — |
| Ptosis | 1 | — |
| Pus in frontal sinus | 1 | — |
| Totals | 10 | 24 |
' 'The following squints were detected and treated :—
| Under 7 years. | 7-11 years. | Over 11 years. | Total. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | Boys. | Girls. | ||
| Convergent—R. | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | 14 |
| L. | 1 | — | — | — | |||
| Divergent— R, | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| L. | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Alternating | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | — | 3 | 13 |
| Occasional— R. | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | |
| L. | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 4 | |
| Totals | 16 | 20 | ' | 1 | 3 | 55 | |