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
Enfield 1943
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Enfield]
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31
WAR-TIME NURSERIES.
At the end of 1943 there were three War-time Nurseries in Enfield.
| Name of Nursery. | No. of Places. | Average Attendance. |
|---|---|---|
| Suffolks, opened December, 1941 | 60 | 45 |
| Green Street, opened July, 1942. | 60 | 46 |
| High Street, opened July, 1943. | 60 | 40 |
A further Nursery was nearing completion towards the end of
the year and was in fact actually opened in February, 1944.
The children in the Nurseries have been immunised against
Diphtheria and Whooping Cough. No case of Diphtheria occurred
in any of the children but some contracted Whooping Cough.
Coughs and colds were frequent but I doubt if more so than amongst
the under 5 population generally. Some children also contracted
Measles which was epidemic during the year.
War-time Nurseries are not ideal in the hours they are open,
nor in their construction, and it would be unfair to judge the
"Nursery for children under 5" on such standards. It must be
remembered that the War-time Nursery was erected in order to
enable mothers with young children to go to work. This is its
primary object.
Despite all this it is a fact that children in our Nurseries have
maintained a satisfactory standard of nutrition which I think
would be bettered if the Nurseries opened later, closed earlier, and
were erected on a standard appropriate to peace-time needs.
The future of the Nursery for children under 5 is uncertain.
It is generally accepted that the best place for such children is in
a good home with parents who have been educated in, and understand
their needs.
This does not mean of necessity that the future will hold no
place for the Nursery as such. There are certain mothers, who,
apart from the needs of the country in war-time will need or
desire to work in peace-time. It is argued that if England
is to obtain the increase in population that is required to secure
that the English shall survive as a race it is essential that mothers
must receive at least some relief from the continuous responsibility
of the care of their children. The first thing that parents achieve
when they can afford it is the employment of a nurse. This is not
due to lack of fondness for their children but a realisation of the
fact that for one person to bring up several children satisfactorily
constitutes more than a whole time task.