[Report 1923] / School Medical Officer of Health, Cardiff County Borough & Port.

  • Cardiff (Wales). County Borough & Port Council.
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1923] / School Medical Officer of Health, Cardiff County Borough & Port. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    8 Taken together these figures represent an increase of work overtaken. It is more important, however, to recognise tliat these figures do not indicate completely the development which has taken place during the year. A great deal of time has been devoted to the examination of exceptional children, such as mental defectives, each of whom takes more than an hour to com- plete, and to other special work. FINDINGS OF MEDICAL INSPECTION. Details of the defects requiring treatment or observation which were found at routine and special inspections are set out in Appendix I., Table II. Of the 13,881 children (routine and special) examined, 3,75fi, or 27.0 per cent, were found suffering from one or more defects requiring treatment (excluding uncleanliness and dental diseases). The number and percentage of instances in which certain diseases or defects were referred for treatment or observation are shown in the following table ;— * Defects. Percentage Malnutrition 101 0.7 Uncleanliness 90 0.6 Skin Diseases 986 6.7 Defective Vision and Squint .. 1009 6.8 External and other Eye Diseases 226 1.5 Otitis Media . . 222 1.5 Other Ear Diseases 126 0.8 Enlarged Tonsils only 1035 7.0 Adenoids only 171 1.1 Enlarged Tonsils and Adenoids 129 0.9 Other Nose and Throat Defects .. 55 0.4 Enlarged Cervical Glands .. ' 27 0.2 Defective Speech .. 2 0.01 Dental Diseases 1033 7.0 Heart Disease 107 0.7 Ana-mia 205 1.4 Lung Diseases—Non-Tuberculous 338 2.3 Tuberculosis (All Forms, including suspects) 70 0.5 Nervous Diseases .. 50 0.3 Deformities 28 • 0.2 Other Defects and Diseases .. 193 1.3 On the whole, the proportion of children showing defects of one kind or another is remarkably constant when these percentages are compared with those of previous years. Certain of the findings, however, are worthy of further comment. i\utrilion.—It must be understood that malnutrition as recorded here is estimated by the general appearance of the children at examination. There is no established standard which can be adhered to by the staff indc]K-ndently of personal factors. As the term is comparative it is conceivable that in a period of general deterioration of the physique of the children the number specia.lly recorded as under-nourished would not materially increase. In the y{“:ir under consideration 0.7 per cent.oi the children were found in this state, as compared with 0.9 per cent. in <-ach of the previous three years. If we judge by the absolute standard of average heights and weights (see A])pendi.\ I., Table V.) the result confirms the general impression gained at inspections. On the average the condition of the children is better now than it was in 19M.