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 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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Physaotherapy.
The following table shows the number of pre-school children who have attended the
Physiotherapy Clinics held at Grange Road and Forest Street Child Welfare Centres.
These Centres, although held on Maternity and Child Welfare premises, are administered through the School Health Service, and treatment is offered to school children as well as to pre-school children.
| Sunlight | Massage | Exercises | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of individual children who attended | 148 | 12 | 52 |
| No. of attendances made by above children • | 2311 | 70 | 770 |
Handicapped Children.
As in previous years health visitors and medical officers have continued to report
to the Senior Assistant Medical Officer, those pre-school children, however young, whose
development did not seem to be proceeding along normal lines. Every effort has been made, in
co-operation with the general practitioner, and consultant when appropriate, to arrange for
special investigations and treatment and to give helpful guidance to the parents. "Ascertainment''
has only been carried out before the age of 5 years when it has seemed useful in securing
treatment or admission to school or institution. ^
At the end of the year there were 80 children who were being kept under careful observation. Of these 10 had been ascertained.
| Ascertained | Not Ascertained | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 4 - 5 years | 5 | 22 | |
| "3-4" | 3 | 20 | 23 |
| "2-3" | 2 | 18 | 20 |
| "1-2" | - | 5 | 5 |
| " Under 1 year | - | 5 | 5 |
| 10 | 80 |
The 10 children "ascertained" were placed in the following categories:-
| Deaf | 3 | |
| Physically Handicapped | 2 | (Cerebral Palsy) |
| Mentally Defective | 4 | |
| Blind | 1 | |
| 10 |
The 70 children not yet ascertained would appear to come within the following
categories
| Mentally Retarded | 37 | |
| Physically Handicapped | 18 | 14 Congenital Defect 3 Cerebral Palsy 1 Poliomyelitis |
| Epileptic | 8 | |
| % Defective Speech | 3 | |
| Deaf | 2 | |
| Impaired Vision | 2 | |
| 70 | ||
| 52 |