[Report 1958] / School Medical Officer of Health, Derbyshire County Council.

  • Derbyshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1958
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1958] / School Medical Officer of Health, Derbyshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/100 (page 5)
    ANNUAL REPORT of the PRINCIPAL SCHOOL MEDICAL OFFICER on the Health and Well-being of School Children for the Year ended 31st December, 1958. To the Chairman and Members of the Derbyshire Education Committee Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present my fifteenth Annual Report on the health and well-being of children attending schools maintained by the Derbyshire Education Authority. I have commented in the last two Annual Reports on the increase in the incidence of defective vision. You are referred to page 17, where figures are provided which indicate the upward trend continuing in the year under review. It is to be hoped that it will turn downwards before long because the present position gives cause for disquiet. Obviously there is an inter-play of many factors, including more use of the eyes for close work at school or at home, better ascertainment, better lighting and more television viewing ; and while some of the factors are advantageous others are disadvantageous to the eyes, the over-all effect producing apparently an increased incidence of visual defect, although the whole human-being in health and enjoyment may have benefited considerably. Your attention is drawn to (i) page 53 where details are given of the schemes for administering preventive inoculations against diph- theria, tetanus and whooping cough ; (ii) page 55, concerning vaccination against poliomyelitis ; and (iii) page 56 relating to B.C.G. vaccination against tuberculosis. These procedures made in-roads into the time available for school medical inspection, but the effect was and will be lessened by the recruitment of further medical staff (see page 15). Much thought was given during the year to try and improve the Authority’s dental service, but I regret to say with very little success