[Report 1950] / School Medical Officer of Health, Norfolk County Council.

  • Norfolk (England). County Council.
Date:
1950
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1950] / School Medical Officer of Health, Norfolk County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    20/46 (page 18)
    where ringworm was diagnosed the children were referred to the skin specialist at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital after obtaining the family doctors’ consent. Two special lamps fitted with Wood’s glass are available for diagnosis of ringworm. TUBERCULOSIS. Children suffering or suspected to be suffering from tuberculosis are referred to the chest physicians. In the early part of the year, a special survey which was being conducted by the Medical Research Council in 25 areas, was extended to Norfolk, and the special unit carried out a survey in a few areas in the eastern portion of the county. This investigation included all children of school age whose parents gave their consent, together with any of the teaching staff who wished to be included. The procedure was for examination by mass miniature radiography on the first visit and the application of the tuberculin patch test. This was followed in the majority of cases by an injection on the second visit two days later. On the third visit, the reaction was read. Before the parents were approached, a preliminary meeting of teachers was called and the scheme fully explained to them. They very willingly co-operated and in the areas included in the survey a high percentage of children were seen. V. DENTAL TREATMENT. The senior dental officer reports as follows:— The state of the Norfolk school dental service has not improved in the past year. Its establishment has been reduced to one third of the professional staff considered reasonably necessary for the inspection and treatment of priority patients, and a further reduction will be caused by the retirement in May, 1951, of Mr. J. Nixon, our friend and colleague, who has given good service to the County Council for 30 years. Therefore, the statistics which are supplied herewith can only pretend to apply with any degree of accuracy to those districts which have been actually served by a dental officer, the dental condition of children and others in the derelict areas being quite unknown. The value of the accompanying statistical report is also considerably reduced by the fact that it does not present an accurate picture of the dental condition of school children throughout the county because the number actually inspected in the course of normal routine was only slightly more than one- third of the school population concerned. This sparsely populated county is the fourth largest in the kingdom and', is remarkable for its difficult rail and road communications. In consequence, the distances involved are too great to expect the existing depleted staff to* expand their activities beyond the borders of their own areas. The use of vehicles for the transport of patients to centres in the St. Faith’s and Aylsham, the North Walsham and the Fakenham districts has been most successful. Parents attending with their children immediately realise that the old make-shift methods are ended and that the well-equipped surgeries in these areas compare favourably with those of general practice. School dentistry is now in great demand in this county and if is deporable that this demand cannot be fully met. This, unfortunately, will not take place until the salary question has been satisfactorily answered by Whitley’ Council or otherwise.