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 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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(b) Cases of congenital deafness in which the defect has been
absolute since birth.
(c) Cases of total deafness secondary to acute infectious
fevers in infancy.
(d) Cases of partial deafness due to the sequelae of local
inflammatory conditions.
Classes (a) and (b) are caused by developmental defects in
the labyrinth or cochlear nerve, (c) to disorganization of the same
Table XVII.
Elementary Education . Ear Defects.
| Year | Defective hearing | Otitis media | Other ear disease | Total ear conditions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Rate per 1,000 | No. | Rate per 1,000 | No. | Rate per 1,000 | No. | Rate per 1,000 | |
| 1926 | 367 | 7.3 | 769 | 15.3 | 262 | 5.2 | 1,398 | 27.8 |
| 1927 | 349 | 7.0 | 780 | 15.7 | 268 | 5.4 | 1,397 | 28.1 |
| 1928 | 267 | 5.5 | 780 | 15.9 | 251 | 5.1 | 1,298 | 26.5 |
| 1929 | 199 | 4.2 | 819 | 17.3 | 202 | 4.3 | 1,220 | 25.8 |
| 1930 | 161 | 3.5 | 836 | 18.0 | 228 | 4.9 | 1,225 | 26.3 |
| 1931 | 134 | 2.9 | 730 | 15.9 | 181 | 3.9 | 1,178 | 25.7 |
| 1932 | 235 | 5.2 | 880 | 19.4 | 363 | 8.0 | 1,478 | 32.6 |
| 1933 | 177 | 4.0 | 852 | 19.0 | 459 | 10.3 | 1,488 | 33.3 |
| 1934 | 96 | 2.2 | 770 | 17.8 | 376 | 8.7 | 1,242 | 28.7 |
| 1935 | 99 | 2.4 | 659 | 16.2 | 401 | 9.9 | 1,159 | 28.5 |
| 1936 | 114 | 3.0 | 588 | 15.3 | 435 | 11.3 | 1,137 | 29.6 |
| 1937 | 88 | 2.4 | 493 | 13.7 | 484 | 13.4 | 1,065 | 29.5 |
structures, and (d) to the residua of simple inflammation of the
labyrinth or to simple or suppurative inflammation of the
middle-ear. Cases coming under (a), (b) and (c) cannot be
remedied, so far as the hearing is concerned, by any treatment.
Those included under (d) can frequently be benefited to the extent
of the sufferers regaining at least useful hearing. The (d) category
forms the minority of the cases seen.
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