[Report 1954] / School Medical Officer of Health, Coventry.

  • Coventry (England). City Council.
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / School Medical Officer of Health, Coventry. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/46 (page 8)
    Routine Medical Inspections. The number of routine inspections has increased quite consider- ably and these together with special inspections and re-inspections amounted to i6,jj8 iq.,688). It is hoped that additional age groups (i-e., 7—8 years) will be included for routine medical inspections during igss, thereby enabling most children to have routine inspections four times instead of three times during their school careers. General Condition of Pupils During the Year. In igsq, g,28o children out of a possible 14,848 were placed in Category A, i.e. 62.500%. This shows a small decrease of •^■615%. In igo3> the figtore was 64.113%. There was an increase in the number of children placed in Category B from 23.110% in 1953 to 56.995% in 1934, representing 3,493 children compared with 4,611 in 1933. Only 75 children were placed in Category C, (0.303% , a decrease since 1933 when the number was 102 (o-777%)- Infectious Diseases. This report is chiefly concerned with children between the ages of 3 and 13 years (handicapped children excepted). The 1933 figures for scarlet fever (198) were much lower than those in 1932 (303) and the downward trend for this disease continues (1934 = 133). Whooping cough too accounted for fewer cases i.e., 1933 = joo, 1934 = lyo, and there were also fewer cases of measles 1933 = 1,360, 1934 = 1,167. There was only one case of poliomyelitis diiring the year and 4 cases of polioencephalitis and this position might well have been directly due to an increased immunity derived by the population from the high incidence of poliomyelitis in this City during 1933 (i.e. a population total of 164 confirmed cases). Food poisoning accounted far fewer cases (1933 = 20 ] 1934 = ii) but these figures probably give no real indication of the true position in the community. Many mild and transient cases of enteritis with vomiting fail to be notified either because the condition is “taken for granted^ and for medical advice is not sought: it is probable that a fair proportion of so called “bilious attacks” are brought about by careless infringements against the tenets of good hygiene. Contagious Diseases. The number of scabies infestations was up by 12 during i9‘^4 whereas ringworm of the scalp and body decreased by 8 (having risen by 3 in 1933). There was an increase from 89 (1933) to 131 ( ^954) impetigenous conditions seen in school children. External eye infections e.g, conjunctivitis, blepharitis, etc., remained at about the same level. Contagious conditions have been at a inuch lower level these past 3 years in spite of overcrowding in the schools and homes. I his favourable sit uation is due in no small part to the excellent liaison existing between the teachers and the school nurses.