London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Enfield 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Enfield]
This page requires JavaScript
33
NOTIFICATIONS
In accordance with the provisions of the Midwives Acts, 1902-1936, and the rules of the Central Midwives Board, the following notifications were received:—
| 1948 | 1947 | |
|---|---|---|
| Sending for Medical Aid | 168 | 249 |
| Still Births | 1 | 4 |
| Laying out of the dead | 1 | 3 |
| Artificial feeding | 19 | 18 |
| Liability to be a source of infection | 6 | 11 |
| Notification of death | 3 | 3 |
The notifications in connection with Medical Aid can be
classified as follows:—
During pregnancy 15
During labour 106
During lying-in period 10
Infant 37
OBSTETRIC SPECIALIST
The scheme whereby the General Practitioners of the district
may call in the help of the Obstetric Unit at Chase Farm Hospital
in cases of difficulty during the ante-natal period or at the confinement
was continued.
HOME HELPS
The benefit, if indeed not the necessity, of a Home Help in
many homes at the time of confinement or domestic emergency
cannot be over-emphasised, and our efforts to extend and make
more readily available this valuable service met with considerable
success, 145 homes receiving domestic help during the year compared
with 104 last year.
At the end of the year there were employed 10 whole-time and
32 part-time Home Helps.
BIRTH CONTROL
In accordance with the authority given by the Minister of
Health, the Medical Officers continued to give advice on this subject
to thosa mothers attending the Maternity and Child Welfare Centres
for whom further pregnancy would be detrimental to health.