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20
GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH
SERVICES FOR THE AREA.
CLINICS AND TREATMENT CENTRES.
At the beginning of the year 21 weekly infant welfare sessions
were being held at ten different premises; nine weekly and one
fortnightly ante-natal clinic sessions at separate addresses and two
weekly and one fortnightly toddlers' clinic session. In March an
additional weekly toddlers' session was opened at Stanmore and
arrangements made by which every third of the weekly sessions
previously held at the Elmwood Clinic were in future held at the
Baptist Church Hall, Streatfield Road, Kenton. At this building,
too, a weekly ante-natal clinic session was started. In August
fortnightly toddlers' sessions were started at St. Alban's Church
Hall, North Harrow. At the end of the year, then, the sessions
held were twenty-one weekly infant welfare centres, two weekly,
three fortnightly, and the equivalent of another weekly toddlers'
session, and ten weekly and one fortnightly ante-natal clinic
sessions.
The same arrangements in regard to treatment continued in
force. In December, the Ministry of Health issued a circular
(No. 2226) bringing to the notice of the local authorities certain
considerations with regard to the treatment of venereal diseases
in war time. They had previously urged the necessity of the
provision of treatment facilities within easy reach of new aggregations
of population, particularly in rural areas, and now suggested
the employment by local authorities of suitably qualified medical
practitioners who would give treatment in their own surgeries
during normal hours of attendance. It was suggested in the
circular that such method was particularly suited to the needs of
rural areas and that it was not intended that a practitioner service
should in any way replace any existing treatment centres. The
Middlesex County Council as the authority responsible for the
provision of the treatment of those in the county affected with
venereal diseases acts under the London and Home Counties'
Scheme by which there is made available to those affected the
services provided at a large number of hospitals in and around
London, though actually only at one in the County of Middlesex
itself. While it is appreciated that affected patients will often
be unwilling to attend treatment centres in the immediate neighbourhood
to their homes and prefer to go to more distant centres
where they are not likely to be recognised, it still remains the
position that too many difficulties must not be put in the way of
sufferers as even though they might be willing to attend in such
circumstances they are more likely to default before full cure
has been achieved. It cannot be felt that the present arrangements