[Report 1948] / Medical Officer of Health, Birkenhead County Borough.

  • Birkenhead (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1948
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1948] / Medical Officer of Health, Birkenhead County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    54/74 (page 52)
    It will be noticed that the statistical hgiires of skin ailments shown in Table 111 Gi-onp I of the Ministry of Education, Medical Inspections Eeturns. at the back of this report, show an increase over those for 1947. This is acconntable to the fact that the number of cases seen at local hospital out-patient clinics from 1st January to 4th July, have been included in the Annual Report. DEFECTIVE VISION Ihuler the National Health Service Act, 1946, the Supplementary Oplithalmic Services have taken over the Ophthalmic and refraction h\oi‘k of the School Health Service. As, however, the general sight- testing work of the Specialist Services will ]iot be fully developed for some time, the Local Education Authority will, in the meantime, continue to make use of the services of I)r. A. M. Williams, who, after application, was placed on the Local Executive Councirs list of Ophthalmic IMedical Practitioners with effect from the 9th November, lt)48. A fee of 12/6d. is paid by the Executive Council for each 1‘efraction done by Hr. Williams, and the amount due every month is jaiid directly to the Borough Ih-easurer by the Executive Council. The supply of glasses is now undertaken by ophthalmic dispensing opticians on the Ophthalmic lust, on presentation by the parent of the appropriate form. For school children, the procedure provides that no charge will be made for replacement or repair of glasses. Any charge deemed by the Ophthalmic Services Committee to be due to lack of care must be paid by the Education Authority to the Executive Council. The effect of this ruling is that there is no encouragement to the child —or obligation on the part of the parent to encourage the child—to take care that his or her glasses are not lost, damaged or destroyed, as the cost of replacements or repair will come, not out of the parent’s, but out of the Education Authority’s pocket, and it is conceivable that a careless or destructive child might receiv^e several pairs of glasses a year at the Authority’s expense. Dr. Williams reports: — “Mothers are very anxious to have the eyes of the children tested, and attend well, both for new cases, and re-examinations. Sevei-al new cases of myopia have been revealed, but the numbers do not compare advei'sely witli those discovered in previous yeai'S. Cases of high uiyoy)ia have been veiy few. Tt is most imfoi'tunate tluit, iindei* the Supplementary Ophthalmic Services Scheme, the myopic and other visually defective school child has to wait so long before his or her glasses are ready. Tt is not un- funmon ff)r the cliild to wait four or five months, and even longei-, before its glasses are eventually laaidy. In many instances the glasses a)<* no longei' suitable, tfui (diild’s vision having detei'iorated in the interval, uhicb necessitates strongcM' lenses having to be prescribed. OomyJaints are being ma(h‘ by yiarcmts that their (dnhh'en find if diffienit to flerive any benefit from their edncaiion without suitable ^d;r- o* , and in certain eases (diildiam are Ix'ing keyit off S(diool beeiuise ol the h»ng <h*lay in ya-osifling glasses,