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
Coulsdon and Purley 1945
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Coulsdon]
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development of all children born or residing in the areas has taken the
following measures:—
Maternity Clinics.
The first ante-natal clinic was established by the Council in June,
1931, and since then an increasing number of sessions has been required.
For a period separate post-natal clinics were held but it was found
in practice that all sessions became partly ante-natal and partly postnatal
clinics, hence the attempt to divide the two has been abandoned
and all sessions now deal with both types of case and are therefore termed
Maternity Clinics.
At present clinics are held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. as follows:—
(a) 69, Brighton Road, Purley, each Monday and on the first and
third Tuesdays in each month.
(b) Methodist Church, Sylverdale Road, Purley, on the first and
third Wednesdays in each month.
(c) Baptist Church, Addington Road, Selsdon, on the second and
fourth Wednesdays in each month.
The total number of new ante-natal cases presenting themselves at the clinics steadily increased from 106 in 1932 to 248 in 1938 and during the war years the following numbers have attended:—
| 1939. | 1940. | 1941. | 1942. | 1943. | 1944. | 1945. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New ante-natal cases | 248 | 207 | 438 | 431 | 388 | 359 | 391 |
| Percentage of registered births | 33% | 33% | 74% | 50% | 41% | 41% | 52% |
| Post-natal attendances | 223 | 136 | 169 | 203 | 225 | 148 | 210 |
| Number of sessions | 71 | 70 | 91 | 108 | 115 | 118 | 120 |
| Average attending per session | 22 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 22 |
It will be seen that a very considerable increase has occurred in the
proportion of ante-natal mothers attending the Council's clinics in the
war years, due to a number of factors, including the shortage of doctors,
the difficulty of obtaining admission to hospital and changes in the types
resident in the District. The phenomenal increase in the percentage of
mothers attending in 1941 was partly artificial, being caused by an influx
from surrounding Districts which had inadequate ante-natal facilities.
These had to be excluded in October, 1941, as they were overtaxing the
local clinics. Excluding this particular year it will be noted that about
half the ante-natal mothers have for several years attended the Council's
clinics, a tendency which will probably increase as a consequence of the
demand for institutional confinements.
Mothercraft Classes.
An experiment was made during 1945 of holding special sessions
at which talks on mothercraft were given to the ante-natal mothers
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