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
Walthamstow 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
This page requires JavaScript
69
School for Mentally Defective Children.— Your Authority provide a
special school with accommodation for 130 children.
At the end of 1938 the classification, according to the latest available intelligence quotients, was as follows:—
| 1938. | 1937. | 1936. | 1935. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Quotient 80 to 89 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| ,, ,, 70 to 79 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 11 |
| ,, ,, 60 to 69 | 21 | 20 | 28 | 29 |
| ,, ,, 50 to 59 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 10 |
| ,, ,, 40 to 49 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 30 to 39 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Not recently tested | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Totals | 59 | 49 | 59 | 61 |
A special visit is paid to the school every term, and all cases
considered to be ineducable by the Head Teacher are carefully
reviewed and, if necessary, excluded and notified to the County
Council for supervision.
(vii) Child Guidance.— The reference of children requiring
guidance to the London Child Guidance Clinic continued during
1938. The fee for initial consultation is 15s., and for each subsequent
treatment 5s. for psychiatric and 2s. 6d. for psychological
treatment.
One case first referred in 1936 and 6 cases referred in 1937 still
continued to attend the Clinic.
Ten new cases were referred for the following reasons:—
Delinquency 1, Pilfering 2, Uncontrollable temper and cruelty 1,
Maladjustment 3, Sleeplessness and refusal to go to school 1,
Nervousness and sleepwalking 1, Enuresis 1.
The Leyton Authority accepted responsibility for payment with
regard to one case referred, and the responsibility for another was
accepted by the Essex County Council.
169 attendances were made by these patients at a cost of
£41 12s. 6d., against which certain recoveries were made.