[Report 1945] / Medical Officer of Health, Derby County Borough.

  • Derby (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1945
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1945] / Medical Officer of Health, Derby County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    slightly smaller. Every effort (luring the year was made to jx^rsuade whole families to accept treatment, and we have been very well supported in this by medical practitioners in the town. General Observations.—Although the war ended in 1945, there was little chance of making an accurate comparison between the pre-war and the post-war condition of the children. There are indications, in spite of smaller available quantities of proteins and fats in the diet and the interruption of normal (lomestic routine, that the health of the school child has bcjen maintained. But whether, had there been no war, the children would have been even more robust than they are at present, is pure conjecture. The position in 1940 will ])robably give us a clearer picture. In the meantime we hope for a better staff in 1940 so that the service, of which we had some reason to be moderately satisfied in 1938, may be carried on more fully and improved. A residential open-air school is urgently required—it is our prime necessity ; and the hope may be expressed that in the reasonable and comprehensible demand for new houses—which in themselves contribute to health—the needs of the delicate child will have due consideration. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE. The accommodation in Primary and Secondary Schools is 21,367. The number of names on the books is 16,104 and the average attendance 14,292. These figures do not include the Central (Boys’) School and Temple House Special M.D. School. THE SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE IN RELATION TO MAINTAINED PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. Medical Inspection. Number of children inspected.—The total number of children inspected was 3,85 !-. Of these, 2,022 were boys and 1,832 were girls. In addition, 671 children were brought forward for special examinations by head teachers and as a result of the nutritional surveys. FINDINGS OF MEDICAL INSPECTION. Clothing and Footgear. The percentage of children found to be inadequately clothed during the year was 0.4. The percentage of children with unsatisfactory footgear was 0.3. Malnutrition. The number of children in 1945 who were suffering from serious mal- nutrition was 1, and the number noted with slight malnutrition was 573. Visual Defects and External Eye Disease. The percentage of children found to have defective vision was 21.7. In the eight and twelve year old groups, the percentages of children who were unable to read 6/6, 6/6, were :— 8 year hoys. 8 year girls. 12 year boys. 12 year girls. 21-3 25-8 20-3 254