London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1927
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1927
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The work carried out during 1927 by the Council's Health
Visitors and those of the voluntary organisations included in the
Borough Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme is summarised in
the following table:—
| C'cl. | Vol. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visits to Expectant Mothers | 2,173 | 366 | 2,539 |
| Visits to Notified Births | 8,466 | 1,481 | 9,947 |
| Visits to Still Births | 63 | 8 | 71 |
| Visits to children aged 1-5 years | 2,702 | 2,091 | 4,793 |
| Visits to enquire into Infant Deaths | 156 | 32 | 188 |
| Visits to cases of Notifiable Infectious | |||
| Disease | 3,240 | 249 | 3,489 |
| Visits to cases of Non-Notifiable Disease | 438 | 137 | 575 |
| Visits re prevention of Diphtheria | 80 | 20 | 100 |
| Visits re Summer Diarrhœa | 788 | 435 | 1,223 |
| Visits to Dental Cases | 406 | 72 | 478 |
| Visits to V.D. Cases | 29 | 1 | 30 |
| Other Visits | 1,156 | 846 | 2,002 |
| 19,697 | 5,738 | 25,435 |
St. Thomas's Cornwall Babies' Hostel.
The arrangements temporarily made in the previous year with
St. Thomas's Cornwall Babies' Hostel, with the sanction of the
Ministry of Health, for the provision of facilities for cases sent from
the Borough Maternity and Child Welfare Clinics for test feeding
and the encouragement of breast feeding amongst Battersea
mothers, were continued during 1927.
The results of the year's work have been very promising and
are summarised below
A. Test Feeds.
Number of cases, 108, comprising: Mothers, 108;
babies, 109. Number of attendances, 125.
10 of these cases received in-patient treatment.
B. In-Patient Treatment.
34 Battersea cases received, made up of—
12 mothers and 13 babies sent by Council.
1 mother and 8 babies sent from other sources.
Period of stay.
25 cases sent by Council—
12 mothers and 13 babies, 290 days Average 24.1days
9 other cases—
1 mother and babe, 62 days; Average
babies, 418days. 60.2 days.
A contribution of £100 was made by the Council towards the
cost of this work, which is included in the estimates of the Maternity
and Child Welfare Scheme.