[Report 1952] / School Medical Officer of Health, Glasgow.

  • Glasgow (Scotland)
Date:
1952
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1952] / School Medical Officer of Health, Glasgow. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    in the average heights and weights at three ages are given in the Table below, ranged according to sex. Increase at 1952 co mpared with 1945. Boys. Girls. 5 -year-olds 0-48 ins., 0-50 lbs. 0-43 ins., 0-37 lbs. 9-year-olds 0-56 ins., 1-02 lbs. 0-42 ins., 1-08 lbs. 13 -year-olds 0-62 ins., 1-65 lbs. 0-32 ins., 1-75 lbs. Increased attendances at school clinics were reported for most groups of minor ailments. Many of the increases were due either to the provision of additional facilities, or to the tendency of pupils to resort more and more to the school clinic for treatment of superficial conditions which frequently were cured after one visit. Skin diseases furnish an example of the latter ; cuts and bruises, etc., and “ single visit cases ” supplying a fair proportion of the total numbers treated. Improved facilities resulting in increased numbers of cases being discovered and treated are exemplified in ear diseases (including children with defective hearing), in connection with which the audio- metric survey scheme was reorganised, minor cases were “ screened ” by experienced school medical officers, and teachers and others were encouraged to report any child suspected of defective hearing. Incidentally, hearing aids were supplied to a record number of school children during the year. The School Eye Service maintained steady progress, the continued assistance of the oculists allotted by the Hospital Board organisation enabling more children to be seen at refraction clinics. The greatest number of new spectacles since the year 1948 was supplied to the children during the session. In this connection, a free range of spectacles is now available to school children of all ages and, in addition, special provision is made for older pupils. Another scheme which continued to function satisfactorily was that relating to the treatment of heart cases. Dr. Rogen, the cardio- logist, in a published article, from which extracts have been included in this Report, traces the progress of the scheme since its inception in 1947. It is noteworthy that out of the total children proved to have heart disease, less than 30 per cent, were considered unfit for any form of physical exercise. The perennial problem of uncleanliness was dealt with even more vigorously than before. Hygiene units were reorganised, cleanliness