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
East Ham 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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98
majority of these are usually in good health and condition.
One would infinitely prefer an interview with the parents of
the weakly or neglected child.
The following table gives the number and percentage ol parents present at the examinations :—
| Number examined. | Number of parents present. | Percentage of parents present. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | 665 | 50 | 0.7 |
| Girls | 888 | 82 | 9.2 |
| Infants | 2070 | 355 | 17.1 |
| Totals | 3623 | 487 | 13.4 |
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT.
The importance of these is very great, in fact their value
cannot be over estimated. Growth depends on nutrition, and
children insufficiently nourished do not attain the height or
weight they normally should.
It is therefore of interest to compare the height and
weight of children of certain ages in this Borough with the
standards of the Anthropological Society, and also to compare
the children in different parts of the Borough with each other.
The record of weight is the most valuable to the teacher,
and in connection with this a weighing machine is provided for
each school; any child suspected either of chronic disease or
defective nutrition should for a time be regularly weighed. If
the weight is found to be stationary or decreasing it shows the
necessity for immediate inquiry into the case.
Height is recorded in both English and Metric systems,
and is taken with the boots off.
Weight is also recorded in both systems, and is taken
with the boots off, but the child's ordinary indoor clothing on.