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
West Ham 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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After second and third helpings, dinner becomes less absorbing,
and voices are raised again, until they are hushed once more
as the children fall asleep upon their beds.
A romp in the garden, followed by a story or music, and the
afternoon fruit, bring the day to a close, and parents are greeted
with much excited chatter about the day's adventures.
Edith Kerrison Nursery School.
Dr. Furniss reports:—
The Edith Kerrison Nursery School has now completed its sixth year. During the year 1930 four quarterly medical inspections were carried out. The following report relates to the findings at these inspections:—
| Examination | Boys examined | Girls examined | Total | Parents present | N umber Defective | Percentage of Defects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 56 | 54 | 110 | 96 | 22 | 20.0 |
| June | 40 | 38 | 78 | 53 | 15 | 19.2 |
| September | 52 | 49 | 101 | 76 | 16 | 15.8 |
| December | 59 | 51 | 110 | 95 | 17 | 15.4 |
I he number in column 5 relates to individual children found
to be defective and not to the number of defects discovered.
As in past years, extracts from the four quarterly medical
reports will give a good idea as to the state of the children.
March: "The condition of the children is good. This is
especially noteworthy inasmuch as this is usually the worst
quarter of the year. There are only three cases of infectious
disease amongst the ten absentees, viz. two of whooping-cough
and one of scarlet fever."
June: "The number of children examined constitutes the
lowest on record. This is due to the fact that measles has been
prevalent, and at the moment there are twenty-two cases. There
are also three measles contacts, two cases of diphtheria, two
cases of whooping-cough, seven children have bronchitis, and
four are away in Convalescent Homes. This is the first time
since the School was opened that an adverse medical report has
been recorded."
September: "The attendance at this inspection is very much
better than at the corresponding examination last year. The
children are in a satisfactory condition, very few of the defects
being of a serious nature. The measles cases recovered without
any untoward sequelae. A few of the children lost a little weight
—probably due to alterations in their diet and rest periods during
the summer holiday, and to the prevalence of measles two or three
months previously. There is only one case of infectious diseasenamely,
diphtheria—the other absentees are either in the hopcountry
or on holiday with their parents."
December: "The results of this examination are most satisfactory.
The percentage defective is the lowest recorded during
the year. Of the ten absent children three are away in convalescent
homes, the remainder have bronchitis. There are no cases
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