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School Hygiene and the Laws of Health
P U B L I C HEA L T H .
1909. THE
INFLUENCE OF BACK-TO-BACK H O U S E S ON H E A L T H . BY W. SCATTERTY, M.A., M.D., D.P.H., Medical Officer of Health, Keighley.
I MAY here mention an interesting investigation now being made regarding the healthiness or unhealthiness of Back-to-back houses, compared with Through-houses. The first point was to get a number of houses of each class sufficiently large to give a fair average result, and at the same time sufficiently alike except as regards ventilation to make a comparison trustworthy. The requirements were met by selecting 279 houses in Parson Fields practically adjoining, or at most on opposite sides of the street, and occupied by families similarly employed and with incomes fairly approximating. The population of the two sets of houses was then found by house-to-house visitation. So far the investigation included only Back-to-backs in blocks of f o u r - - a style of house superior, of course, to those in long rows without any intervening open spaces. The next point was to find the exact number of deaths which occurred in those houses during the past ten years (this period was considered sufficiently long to make the comparison of value) and these were extracted from the weekly mortality returns supplied by the Registrar. The following tabular statement shows the results obtained : - Males.
Back-to-back Houses.
Rental s. d.
Bingley St. Bradford St. Emily St. Marlboro' St. Grange St. Total
33 33 22 32 15
4 4 4 4 4
5 4 7 7 8
.. 135 4 5i
Total.
Under Ove~ Under [Ove 12 IX I2 ] 12
9
4o
24 [51 12 ]43
29
i
5x 6
62
186
[22
70 ~9o
rnderix O ~ r
2i 22 45 3° 14
83 i59 i 95
32
Through Houses.
Bradford St. 50 Emily St. 51 Marlboro' St. 43 Total
9
5
24 I9
.. 144 5
62
89 87
187 1IO2 1Io7
45 I68 56 191 33 194
72 296
34 553
26 32 I4
Now 135 Back-to-backs yielded 81 deaths, and 144 Through-houses yielded Ioo deaths in the ten years, while the population in ~9o8 in the former class was 508 and 687 in the latter. This gives a death rate of 15"9 in the Back-to-backs, and 14"5 in the Through. A more striking difference is seen from a comparison of the deaths among children under 5. In 135 Back-to-backs with a population of 5o8 there were 26 deaths under i, and 39 under 5, whereas in 144 Through with a population of 687 there were 21 deaths under i, and 28 under 5, and yet the number of children under 12 were practically the same in both, namely, 132 in the Back-to-backs and 134 in the Through. The rates in the latter comparison were 7"6 and 4"o respectively. I hope next to investigate a comparison between Back-to-backs in rows, Back-to-backs in blocks of four and Through-houses.--Anm~al Report, 19o8.
313 REVIEWS.
SCHOOL HYGIENE AND THE LAWS OF HEALTH. A Text-Book for Teachers and Students in Training. By Charles Porter, M.D., B.Sc., M.R.C.P. Edin., of the Middle Temple, Barrister-at-law, Medical Officer of Health, Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. New Edition. Longmans, Green & Co. This book consists of two parts. Part I., entitled " T h e School Child," is a sound and lucid account of the elements of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, concluding with chapters on " Sight and the Eye," " Hearing " and " The Infectious Diseases." The facts given are applied chapter by chapter to the development and school life of the child, and all the commoner diseases, deformities and defects are dealt with under the appropriate headings. The information given is based on a course of lectures given to teachers and students at the Sheffield Training College. The chapter of " The Muscular S y s t e m " ends with useful hints as to physical exercises, including their educational and developmental value. These last might well be impressed on the child as well as on the t e a c h e r - - a point not mentioned here. A school child, when told to take a deep breath, is often at a loss, and has to be told to do a " breathing exercise" before the desired result can be obtained. There is a useful section on stammering under " T h e Respiratory System." In treating this defect it is stated that " probably the first thing to do is to explain tO the stammerer exactly what the fault is." (P. 95.) This would be likely to lead to increased self-consciousness. In the classes in connection with the Manchester Schools the habit of stammering is cured almost unconsciously by a systematic training in the control of the breath in mouth, lips and tongue exercises, and in monotoning. Again, a mirror is not used because " i n this way the stammerer can see where his difficulties a r e " (p. 96), but in order that when exercising he may see for himself whether he be moving his mouth, lips and tongue in the way shown him by his teacher. Five pages are devoted to their feeding: only half a page to the feeding of young children--a subject on which it is much more difficult to obtain detailed information. In dealing with verminous children the method of threatening to separate them publicly from the others in school is recommended. This is surely a cruel visitation of the sins of the fathers upon the children. A child can easily be kept apart unnoticed, if necessary. The chapter on " T h e Nervous System" includes the development of t h e motor, sensory and motor word centres, sign of over-strain, prevention of fatigue, sleep, defective children, epilepsy and headaches. It is admirably clear and to the point. The second part of the book deals with " The School Building" and a chapter on " Medical Inspection of Schools and School Children."
1909. THE
INFLUENCE OF BACK-TO-BACK H O U S E S ON H E A L T H . BY W. SCATTERTY, M.A., M.D., D.P.H., Medical Officer of Health, Keighley.
I MAY here mention an interesting investigation now being made regarding the healthiness or unhealthiness of Back-to-back houses, compared with Through-houses. The first point was to get a number of houses of each class sufficiently large to give a fair average result, and at the same time sufficiently alike except as regards ventilation to make a comparison trustworthy. The requirements were met by selecting 279 houses in Parson Fields practically adjoining, or at most on opposite sides of the street, and occupied by families similarly employed and with incomes fairly approximating. The population of the two sets of houses was then found by house-to-house visitation. So far the investigation included only Back-to-backs in blocks of f o u r - - a style of house superior, of course, to those in long rows without any intervening open spaces. The next point was to find the exact number of deaths which occurred in those houses during the past ten years (this period was considered sufficiently long to make the comparison of value) and these were extracted from the weekly mortality returns supplied by the Registrar. The following tabular statement shows the results obtained : - Males.
Back-to-back Houses.
Rental s. d.
Bingley St. Bradford St. Emily St. Marlboro' St. Grange St. Total
33 33 22 32 15
4 4 4 4 4
5 4 7 7 8
.. 135 4 5i
Total.
Under Ove~ Under [Ove 12 IX I2 ] 12
9
4o
24 [51 12 ]43
29
i
5x 6
62
186
[22
70 ~9o
rnderix O ~ r
2i 22 45 3° 14
83 i59 i 95
32
Through Houses.
Bradford St. 50 Emily St. 51 Marlboro' St. 43 Total
9
5
24 I9
.. 144 5
62
89 87
187 1IO2 1Io7
45 I68 56 191 33 194
72 296
34 553
26 32 I4
Now 135 Back-to-backs yielded 81 deaths, and 144 Through-houses yielded Ioo deaths in the ten years, while the population in ~9o8 in the former class was 508 and 687 in the latter. This gives a death rate of 15"9 in the Back-to-backs, and 14"5 in the Through. A more striking difference is seen from a comparison of the deaths among children under 5. In 135 Back-to-backs with a population of 5o8 there were 26 deaths under i, and 39 under 5, whereas in 144 Through with a population of 687 there were 21 deaths under i, and 28 under 5, and yet the number of children under 12 were practically the same in both, namely, 132 in the Back-to-backs and 134 in the Through. The rates in the latter comparison were 7"6 and 4"o respectively. I hope next to investigate a comparison between Back-to-backs in rows, Back-to-backs in blocks of four and Through-houses.--Anm~al Report, 19o8.
313 REVIEWS.
SCHOOL HYGIENE AND THE LAWS OF HEALTH. A Text-Book for Teachers and Students in Training. By Charles Porter, M.D., B.Sc., M.R.C.P. Edin., of the Middle Temple, Barrister-at-law, Medical Officer of Health, Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. New Edition. Longmans, Green & Co. This book consists of two parts. Part I., entitled " T h e School Child," is a sound and lucid account of the elements of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, concluding with chapters on " Sight and the Eye," " Hearing " and " The Infectious Diseases." The facts given are applied chapter by chapter to the development and school life of the child, and all the commoner diseases, deformities and defects are dealt with under the appropriate headings. The information given is based on a course of lectures given to teachers and students at the Sheffield Training College. The chapter of " The Muscular S y s t e m " ends with useful hints as to physical exercises, including their educational and developmental value. These last might well be impressed on the child as well as on the t e a c h e r - - a point not mentioned here. A school child, when told to take a deep breath, is often at a loss, and has to be told to do a " breathing exercise" before the desired result can be obtained. There is a useful section on stammering under " T h e Respiratory System." In treating this defect it is stated that " probably the first thing to do is to explain tO the stammerer exactly what the fault is." (P. 95.) This would be likely to lead to increased self-consciousness. In the classes in connection with the Manchester Schools the habit of stammering is cured almost unconsciously by a systematic training in the control of the breath in mouth, lips and tongue exercises, and in monotoning. Again, a mirror is not used because " i n this way the stammerer can see where his difficulties a r e " (p. 96), but in order that when exercising he may see for himself whether he be moving his mouth, lips and tongue in the way shown him by his teacher. Five pages are devoted to their feeding: only half a page to the feeding of young children--a subject on which it is much more difficult to obtain detailed information. In dealing with verminous children the method of threatening to separate them publicly from the others in school is recommended. This is surely a cruel visitation of the sins of the fathers upon the children. A child can easily be kept apart unnoticed, if necessary. The chapter on " T h e Nervous System" includes the development of t h e motor, sensory and motor word centres, sign of over-strain, prevention of fatigue, sleep, defective children, epilepsy and headaches. It is admirably clear and to the point. The second part of the book deals with " The School Building" and a chapter on " Medical Inspection of Schools and School Children."