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 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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General Condition. The medical officer's survey at the periodic medical inspections
includes an estimate of the child's general condition. This is classified into three grades;
"Good", "Fair" and "Poor". The proportions recorded during 1955 are set out in detail belowi-
Classification of the General Condition of Children assessed at Periodic Inspections
| No. of children inspected | A (Good) | B (Fair) | c (Poor) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | No. | % | No. | ||||
| Entrants | 2,668 | 992 | 37.18 | 1,641 | 61.51 | 35 | 1.31 |
| 2nd age group | 2,329 | 868 | 37.27 | l,44l | 61.87 | 20 | 0.86 |
| 3rd age group | 1,871 | 870 | 46.50 | 978 | 52.27 | 23 | 1.23 |
| Additional periodic | 1,204 | 585 | 48.59 | 598 | 49.67 | 21 | 1.74 |
| Total | 8,072 | 3,315 | 41.07 | 4,658 | 57.70 | 99 | 1.23 |
A child to be placed in the "Good" category has to be really good. He is a child who
is well developed, has plenty of vitality and vigour and shows a keen Interest in life; a
"Fair" child is a normal, average or satisfactory child} and a child in the "Poor" category
appears tired, listless, dull and perhaps stands badly - he is under suspicion at once and
his condition is unsatisfactory - he needs a full investigation.
The following table shows a comparison of the findings for the past ten yearsi-
| Year | Excellent | Normal | Sub-normal and bad |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 23.76 | 61.97 | 14.27 |
| Good | Fair | Poor | |
| 1947 | 79.43 | 20.19 | 0.38 |
| 1948 | 35.67 | 54.46 | 7.87 |
| 1949 | 35.06 | 56.16 | 8.78 |
| 1950 | 38.07 | 55.44 | 6.49 |
| 1951 | 39.03 | 53.44 | 7.53 |
| 1952 | 48.94 | 47.71 | 3.35 |
| 1953 | 44.69 | 53.97 | 1.34 |
| 1954 | 42.90 | 55.80 | 1.30 |
| 1955 | 41.07 | 57.70 | 1.23 |
This period covers the change which took place in 1947 from the Ministry's previous
four point classification. For a period the figures showed instability, due largely to
uncertainty of interpretation of the new categories. There are many factors which can
influence this essentially subjective assessment, so that there still remains some doubt
how far even the more recent figures can be regarded as giving a valid comparison. We
can, however, say without any hesitation that the health of the children is satisfactory.