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 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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| Women. | Children. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of teeth extracted | 1,500 | 570 | 2,070 |
| Scaling and polishing | 53 | — | 53 |
| Fillings | 132 | 31 | 163 |
| Upper dentures | 49 | — | 49 |
| Lower dentures | 35 | — | 35 |
| Denture visits | 389 | — | 389 |
| Dressings and treatment to gums | 120 | 7 | 127 |
| Repairs to dentures | 16 | — | 16 |
| Advice | 1,043 | 877 | 1,920 |
The number of children who attended the dental clinic during
1938 declined from 537 to 487. This was due to the fact that the
toddler's clinic previously held only at Southlands was divided
among five other centres, from which comparatively few children
came to the dental clinic.
The Council have, since 1927, undertaken the dental treatment
at scale charges of Chelsea patients referred by the Chelsea Health
Society for the purpose and the payments on behalf of the Society,
during the financial year 1938-9 (exclusive of the cost of dentures,
shewn below), amounted to £38 12s. Od.
The cost of dentures supplied during the financial year amounted to £195 17s. 3d. and the sums received from various sources were as under:-
| £ | s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contributed by patients | 108 | 14 | 9 |
| Payments by Chelsea Health Society | 24 | 13 | 0 |
| Grants from British Dental Hospital | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Grants from Saturday and Sunday Hospital Funds | 25 | 7 | 6 |
| Public Assistance | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Contribution by the Council | 28 | 2 | 0 |
| £195 | 17 | 3 |
The net cost to the Council of this service during 1938-39
was £502 4s. 9d.
Ante-Natal Clinics.
The ante-natal clinics provided by the Council under their
Maternity and Child Welfare scheme were under the direction and
supervision of the consultant gynaecologist (Miss Alice Bloomfield,
m.d., f.r.c.s., f.r.c.o.g.). These clinics were held throughout the
year at the out-patient department of the Borough Maternity
Hospital on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and for the
convenience of patients living at a distance from the Hospital
a session was held at the Southlands centre on Fridays. Clinics
were also held at the Plough Road and East Battersea (All Saints')
centres, attended by the Assistant Medical Officer (Maternity and
Child Welfare) ; and the Women's League of Service, whose work
is referred to on page 25, also held an ante-natal clinic at their
Southlands premises.