[Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer of Health, Southend-on-Sea Borough.

  • Southend-on-Sea (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer of Health, Southend-on-Sea Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Summary of Results {school-children only) Males Females Total Number recalled for large film 20 13 33 Number requiring further investigation 8 7 15 Number referred to Chest Clinic 6 5 11 The results of the examination of senior students at the Municipal College are included in the statistics relating to adults in the annual report of the Medical Officer of Health. Of the eleven children referred to the chest clinic four were sub¬ sequently diagnosed as tuberculous, the remaining seven being found to have non-tuberculous conditions, such as pneumonitis, bronchiectasis, M pleural thickening, etc. The total number of cases of tuberculous infection, active and inactive, discovered by the survey of children, is shown in the following table: — Number of cases of Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Active Primary Males Females 2 Total 2 Inactive Primary ... 12 5 17 Inactive Post-primary 1 1 2 13 8 21 This survey has yielded useful results. It is reassuring to find so ! little of significance in these age groups, and the educational value of !; the survey has been considerable. It shows however that mass miniature radiography when used unselectively at these ages is an i expensive method of “case finding,” and by itself is not entirely | adequate to our needs. Medical officers of health have impressed on the ^ officers of the Board, and the directors of the M.M.R. units, the desirability of adhering to a regular schedule, in planning the itineraries of these expensive and most useful teams. If the unit could visit Southend- on-Sea say, annually, at the same time of the year, we could arrange to carry out skin tests on the over 14’s and immediately thereafter radiograph the positive reactors. The following year, the skin testing would be restricted to those entering the age group or who were non¬ reactors. In this way a child could be watched through the school years when Mantoux conversion is likely to take place. Another . valuable result would be the establishment of reliable norms for our I child population, of Mantoux conversion rates, and any departure from j these, as affecting any particular group or school, would focus attention ».[ on the place where an intensive search for foci of infection should be instituted. The statistics relating to teachers are also included among the other | ^ adults. It is, however, reassuring to note that, of the 227 examined, ( only seven were recalled for large film; only two of these had to be