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
London County Council 1927
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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List of Institutions.—The institutions to which children suffering from surgical tuberculous affections are sent and the number of beds occupied in each on 31st December 1927, are as follows:—
| Institutions. | Occupied beds. | Institutions. | Occupied beds. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Asylums Board— | Orthopaedic Hospital, Brockley-hill | 13 | |
| Queen Mary's Hospital | 248 | Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot | 25 |
| Princess Mary's Hospital | 181 | St. Nicholas, Pyrford | 10 |
| Millfields | 38 | Sevenoaks Hip Hospital | 9 |
| Alexandra Hospital | 35 | St. Vincent's Hospital | 6 |
| Lord Mayor Treloar's Hospital, Alton | 33 |
In addition some ten to fifteen children, who were in the convalescent stage,
were accommodated in St. Andrew's Home, Hayling. A few cases in the above
institutions were suffering from surgical tuberculosis of other parts than bones and
joints.
Admissions and discharges.—The number of children dealt with during the years 1925 and 1926 was:—
| 1925. | Tuberculosis of glands. | Tuberculosis of bones and joints. |
|---|---|---|
| Number in on 31st December, 1924 | 132 | 493 |
| Number admitted during 1925 | 184 | 311 |
| Number discharged during 1925 | 192 | 255 |
| Number remaining on 31st December, 1925 1926. | 124 | 549 |
| Number in on 31st December, 1925 | 124 | 549 |
| Number admitted during 1926 | 249 | 277 |
| Number discharged during 1926 | 211 | 279 |
| Number remaining on 31st December, 1926 | 162 | 547 |
Duration of treatment.—Children remain in residential institutions as long as
treatment is required. Periodic progress reports, generally three monthly, are sent
to the Council. All the institutions are periodically visited and the children seen
by one of the Council's surgical consultants (Sir Henry Gauvain and Mr. Acton
Davis).
After Care.—About ten days before the discharge of a patient from a residential
institution the medical superintendent transmits to the Council the discharge
report and notes concerning the case. These are sent on by the Council to the borough
medical officer of health who brings the case to the notice of the tuberculosis care
committee. The Invalid Children's Aid Association is represented on each
committee.
Supervision after discharge from hospital.—The arrangements for supervision
of the patient after hospital treatment depend to some extent upon the source from
which the patient came to the Council; e.g., some return to the direct supervision
of the hospital surgeon in London from whom the patient originated; others
continue under the supervision of hospital where the patient was treated, e.g.,
Alton and Heatherwood patients attend at regular intervals at Farringdon Road
Dispensary, while certain of the Metropolitan Asylums Board patients attend at the
Board's Out-patient Clinic at Kentish Town.
The supervision of children at their homes is carried out with remarkable
efficiency by the Invalid Children's Aid Association. Repairs of splints or new
apparatus required after discharge from residential institutions can be provided under
arrangements made between the Council and the Invalid Children's Aid Association.
The net cost is borne by the Council after assessment of the parent. All children
of school age on discharge from hospital, and before returning home, are seen by the
Council's medical officers at the County Hall as to their suitability for attendance
at schools for physically defective children or at elementary schools.