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 Lambeth Borough]
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is provided in conjunction with that for schoolchildren, combined use being
made of the staff and premises.
Screening for Phenylketonuria
All new-born babies have a screening test at the age of six days, using the
Guthrie method, for the detection of phenylketonuria. This is normally carried
out in hospital on babies born in hospital, and by domiciliary midwives on
children born at home and on those babies discharged from hospital before six
days. This test is used to detect the presence of phenylketones in the blood which
result from a metabolic disorder which if left untreated may lead to mental
subnormality. Positive cases can be referred to hospital for treatment and
development is then normal.
There were 73,222 attendances at child health and toddlers' sessions and
1,273 attendances at ante-natal and post-natal clinic sessions. The Council provides
facilities at some centres for general practitioner obstetricians to see their own
booked maternity patients and 195 such sessions were held during the period.
Creches at which mothers may leave their children for the duration of the
session (normally 3 hours) are held in many child health centres. There were
1,541 sessions during the period at which 18,268 attendances were made.
CHILD HEALTH CENTRES Number of children attending during the year
Born in 1970 | 4,460 |
Born in 1969 | 4,754 |
Born in 1965-1968 | 6,302 |
Total | 15,516 |
Number of sessions held during the year by | |
Medical Officers | 303 |
Health Visitors | 35 |
Sessional General Practitioners | 2,613 |
Hospital Medical Staff | 107 |
Total | 3,058 |
Number of children referred elsewhere | 876 |
Number of children on "at risk" register at the end of the year | 534 |