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
Tottenham 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]
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B C G Vaccination Throughout the year the B.C.G. programme was steadily pursued and more than twice the number of children were vaccinated compared with 1959 From the following table it will be seen that for the first time students from two technical colleges were brought into the scheme; an important innovation bearing in mind the susceptibility of the adolescent to this disease
| School Children | Students | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Parents approached | 3455 | 306 | 3761 | |||
| Parents accepting | 2565 | 74.3 | 146 | 47.7 | 2711 | 72.1 |
| Number tested | 2487 | 131 | 2618 | |||
| Number found to be Mantoux positive | 136 | 5.5 | 38 | 29.0 | 174 | 6.6 |
| Number found to be Mantoux negative | 2242 | 90.1 | 91 | 69.5 | 2333 | 89.1 |
| Number failing to attend for Mantoux reading | 109 | 4.4 | 2 | 1.5 | 111 | 4.3 |
| Number vaccinated (% of those approached) | 2122 | 61.4 | 90 | 29.4 | 2212 | 58.8 |
School Dental Service
During the year the staff position has been as follows:5
Full-time Dental Officers
3 Part-time Dental Officers (equivalent to 1 6/11 full-time), with
several changes in the first quarter of the year
1 Part-time Orthodontist (6/11 - 7/11)
The vacancy caused by the illness and subsequent retirement in February of Mr, V„ Sainty,
Area Dental Officer, was not filled until the end of September.
One full-time and one part-time dental officers are re-employed after reaching pensionable
age, and we are grateful for their services, but they can only be considered as a short term policy,
with doubtful prospects of replacement.
19,438 children were inspected, and of these 60% required treatment. There is evidence
that many children are receiving regular treatment through the National Health Service.
The work of the department proceeded steadily during the year, and the ratio of permanent:
teeth filled to permanent teeth extracted as a result of disease was 9.7: 1.
161 evening sessions were carried out and proved very populat.
The orthodontic clinic continues to have along waiting list for treatment and there is urgent
need for expansion of the service, especially in Hornsey. Dental officers themselves undertook
cases in 108 sessions and thereby diverted time required for their basic dental surgery duties.
A disturbing fact connected with all treatments is the large and increasing number of broken
appointments. They have risen each year from 19 7% in 1957 to 22.1% in 1960. It is noticeable
that these are fewer where there has been continuity of staff and where the patient can depend on
being treated by the same dental officer. Equally important in this matter is the dental attendant
of experience.