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12
uproar which led to three special meetings of the Public Health
Committee in one week during the summer recess. All the children
from the nursery were eventually offered accommodation in other
nurseries although many mothers had to make their own arrangements
for the care of their children for several weeks. The hut at
the Oval nursery would have been ready to open as a school-room
in time to take most of the older children but efforts were dogged
by misfortune which hindered completion. Similar difficulties were
experienced in finishing the Chestnut nursery, the building of which
had been abruptly stopped by the fly-bombs in 1944, and it was
not ready for occupation until March, 1947, after exasperating
delays. It might well have been ready at least six months before
and relieved some of the pressure when Black Prince was closed.
Permission to repair the Council's war-damaged maternity home
at Knight's Hill to use as a hostel for the resident probationers
and as a nursery to replace the Annie McCall nursery was received
in the latter part of the year and at first it was hoped that it might
be ready for occupation by the beginning of 1947. The Annie
McCall nursery is housed in a badly needed maternity hospital but
the premises cannot be vacated until Knight's Hill is ready to take
the children owing to the serious dislocation which would follow
some seventy mothers giving up their work in office, shop or factory.
Diphtheria prevention is obligatory for all entrants to the
nurseries and on leaving to go to school a " boosting " dose is
given. Routine injections against whooping cough were given up
following one or two sore arms and the uncertainty of the treatment
giving any assurance of safety. The result of the immunisation
endeavours at all the nurseries left an impression that some success
had been achieved but as this could not be statistically confirmed
the treatment was given up until a reliable prophylactic had been
discovered.
Morbidity has fortunately been low in all nurseries throughout
the vear.