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 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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five years of age, remained as one senior and two assistants. However, in October,
limited help was received from Mr. Woolf, who, in undertaking five sessions a week at
Rosetta Road Clinic, gave a great service to those children attending schools in that area.
The results of the repeated failure to obtain an adequate number of full-time dentists and the harmful effects of a depleted service is well shown in the annual returns, which can be given here briefly for comparison year by year:-
| No. of Dentists | Total Attendances | No. of Fillings | No. of Extractions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 5 | 10,821 | 3,833 | 8,618 |
| 1950 | 4 | 10,596 | 2,004 | 8,720 |
| 1951 | 3 | 10,094 | 1,260 | 7,714 |
| 1952 | 3 | 11,482 | 1,450 | 7,913 |
These figures show quite clearly the obvious deterioration of the dental health in
this borough. While the total attendance has increased from 2,l60 per dentist in 1949 to
3,827 per dentist in 1952, the amount of conservative work has fallen, because of this
pressure, from 767 fillings per dentist to 483 per dentist. In consequence, the destructive
work of extractions has increased from 1,724 to 2,632 teeth per dentist during the same
period.
SPEECH DEFECTS. The speech therapist has continued to make a weekly visit to the
Elizabeth Fry Special School in order that physically handicapped children who are unable
to attend the speech clinic shall not be deprived of the benefit of treatment if they need
it. The close liaison between the speech clinic and other parts of the service, which Is
so essential to its success, has continued to work smoothly under the guidance of the Chief
Assistant School Medical Officer who visits once a fortnight.
REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE SPEECH CLINIC
by
Miss R. Clarke, L.C.S.T.
Work at the Speech Clinic has progressed satisfactorily during 1952. There has been
a steady flow of children referred for treatment, and it has been hard work to keep the
waiting list down to a minimum.
Statistics:
Number of children who attended the clinic 156
Boys 121
Girls 35
Types of Defect
Dyslalia 86
Stammer 40
Stammer with dyslalia 8
Sigmatism 7
Cleft Palate 6
Hyperrhinolalia 3
Cerebral Palsy 5
Mild Deafness 1
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