London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Walthamstow 1951

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]

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No. of Cases suffering from:—High St. ClinicOpen Air Sch. Clinic
Physiological or psychological defects— Stammer5840
Clutter-1
Voice Defects— Rhinophonia63
Defects of Articulation— Dysarthria-5
Dyslalia8563
Language Defects— Delayed Speech33
Probable Mental Deficiency57
Other types of Defects-1
157123

(m) Convalescent Home Treatment.—91 children were sent
away for treatment during 1951. There were six children remaining
in convalescent homes and hospital schools on December 31st, 1951.
(n) Tuberculosis.—The number of school children examined
for the first time during the year was 245 boys and 258 girls, of
whom 25 boys and 30 girls were referred by the school medical
staff, and 102 boys and 99 girls by private practitioners. 247
children were examined as contacts.
PREVENTION OF TUBERCULOSIS
(i) Chest X-ray Examination of Teachers on Appointment.—
Since 1943, i.e., before the appointed day under the Education Act,
1944, it had been the custom to insist on newly-appointed teachers
passing a chest x-ray examination. In February attention was drawn
to the fact that a fee would be payable to the Regional Hospital
Board and the Chest Physician, but in view of the issue of Ministry
of Health Circular 64/50 in July, 1950, commending the x-ray
examination of all persons in close contact with children, your
Committee decided to continue the examinations. Later the Local
Education Authority decided to take no action in the matter in
view of the possibility of a conference being convened at national
level to decide future action. Your Committee again decided to
continue the examinations, but later they had to be discontinued
since the Local Education Authority had disallowed the provision
made in your Committee's estimates. Your Committee then
recommended that the matter be referred to the Ministry of Education
as a dispute between the Borough Council and the Local
Education Authority, but this proved impracticable, since under