Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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86
Artificial Sunlight Treatment Centre.—This Centre
which was opened on the 24th September, 1925, at Conduit
House, 236, Trafalgar Road, is in use every day from 10 to
12.30, and 1.30 to 5 p.m., for cases referred to the Centre by
the Medical Officers attending the Infant Welfare Consultations.
The treatment is given by a fully trained and specially certificated
nurse, and is conducted on similar lines to that recorded in
previous Reports.
The total number of cases treated during the year was
463, as compared with 335 for the previous year ; the number
of treatments given being 10,505.
The following were the conditions treated:—
Rickets, and the prevention of Rickets | 182 | |
Underweight | 68 | |
Debility and Malnutrition | 35 | |
Bronchial | 31 | |
Convalescent from Infectious Cases | 29 | |
Anaemia | 18 | |
Premature babies | 7 | |
Enlarged glands of neck | 7 | |
Insomnia | 7 | |
Rheumatism | 4 | |
Strabismus | 4 | |
Constipation | 3 | |
Enlarged Tonsils | 3 | |
Mongals | 2 | |
Marasmus babies | 2 | |
Chorea | 1 | |
Ante-natal Mothers | 32 | |
Nursing Mothers | 28 | |
463 |
In view of the somewhat disparaging remarks concerning
the efficacy of Artificial Sunlight Treatment made in the daily
Press recently, the following brief reports from the Medical
Officers in charge of the various Infant Welfare Centres are
interesting :—
Dr. Mcintosh finds that in cases of Rickets generally,
the most striking results are obtained. Bony deformities are
rapidly cured, the improvement from week to week being so
marked as to claim the parent's attention. Children sleep well
at night and hence a more natural order of life is established.
Marked benefit is also obtained in cases of Malnutrition and
Anaemia, but improvement in cases of this kind is always