[Report 1942] / School Medical Officer of Health, St Helens.

  • St. Helens (Merseyside, England). Council.
Date:
1942
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1942] / School Medical Officer of Health, St Helens. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    412 cases suffering from the following defects on that register during the year : Infantile paralysis . 37 Other forms of paralysis . 25 Congenital deformities . 41 Rickets . 37 Traumatism . 5 Acquired foot deformities . 116 Postural defects . 105 Other acquired deformities . 20 Arthritis . 1 Miscellaneous . 25 412 The treatment provided for these children involved 571 attendances for consultation or treatment by the Orthopaedic Surgeon, 5,081 attendances foi intermediate treatment by the nurse and 66 home visits by the nurse for purposes of supervision. In addition, 14 cases received surgical or other hospital treatment for an aggregate of 1,682 days. In addition to the crippled children there are in St. Helens 16 children with heart disease of such severity that they are physically crippled. 7 of these attend Public Elementary Schools, 1 is at a secondary school, and of the remainder, 6 are; at Certified Special Schools and 2 are at no school. During the current year arrangements are being completed for the establish¬ ment of a Heart Clinic as part of the School Medical Treatment Service in the Borough. All cases of heart disease and rheumatism will be diverted to this clinic for special examination and necessary treatment, and it is hoped by this method ta lessen or control the incidence of crippling amongst children due to heart and. rheumatic diseases. Delicate Children. The re-opening of the Hamblet Open Air School in 1941 has been fully; justified. The value of this School in “ saving ” the delicate child and in bringing: back to health the child temporarily “ under the weather ” cannot be over-estimated. The following is a statement of the work done at this School during 1942. At the beginning of the year there were 120 children on the roll. During the year, 64 new cases were admitted and 66 children were discharged. At the end of the year there were 118 children on the school roll. The condition of the children on discharge was as follows :— Considered to be fit to return to Elementary Schools . 48 Transferred to Secondary School . 1 Left to take up employment. 5 Discharged at parents’ request . 2 Discharged for non-attendance . 2 Discharged as unsatisfactory . 2 Discharged as unfit for school . 2 Discharged to Eccleston Hall Sanatorium . 1 Left district. 3