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
Hornsey 1919
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hornsey, Borough of]
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23
REPORT OX MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE WORK,
BY DR. FLORA SHEPHERD.
For the purpose of Maternity and Child Welfare work the
Borough is divided into three areas—Brook Road Centre (No 1),
Harringay Centre (No. 2) and Highgate.
The work is carried on under the direct supervision of the Medical Officer of Health by a Medical Officer who works for six half-days weekly.
| No. of Sessions. | New Cases Under 1 yr. | Registered Over 1 yr. | Total Attendances. | Average per Session. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brook Road | 140 | 176 | 72 | 4,662 | 32 |
| Harringay | 90 | 133 | 72 | 2,821 | 313 |
There are three Health Visitors, two for the poorer and
more densely populated Brook Road area and one for the
Harringay area. The Highgate area is not yet organised.
The work of an area includes notified birth visits, still births,
ophthalmia neonatorum, ante-natal visiting, weighing of infants
and children at a Centre, medical consultations, lectures and
sewing classes, and re-visiting all children up to the age of 5
years.
Each area is autonomous and self-contained, and furnishes
monthly its report of work done to the Maternity and Child
Welfare Committee.
The localising and concentrating of the work gives the
mothers a feeling of security and continuity and the workers the
stimulus of direct responsibility.
Voluntary Committees.—The work of weighing and consultations
is greatly facilitated by a Committee of highly-trained
voluntary workers. The nuclei of these voluntary workers are
those ladies who are co-opted on to the Maternity and Child
Welfare Committee, and their work has been so steady and
continuous that they are now a most valuable asset in the working
of the Centres.