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
Wimbledon 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
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MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE
The further development of the Maternity and Child
Welfare Services made necessary an increase of staff and
an additional Health Visitor was appointed early in 1938.
The total number of visits paid by the Health Visitors
during 1938 amounted to 7,715, the figure for the previous
year being 5,901.
Details of the home visits carried out are given below:—
| Number of Infants visited—First visits | 662 | |
| Number of Infants visited—Re-visits | 1,363 | |
| Number of Toddlers visited | 2,176 | |
| Ante-natal—First visits | 341 | |
| Ante-natal—Revisits | 196 | |
| Visits re Infant Deaths | 10 | |
| „ „ Stillbirths | 18 | |
| ,, ,, Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 48 | |
| „ „ Puerperal Fever and Pyrexia | 10 | |
| „ „ Non-notifiable Infectious Diseases | 75 | |
| „ „ Milk Applications | 82 | |
| „ „ Foster Children | 317 | |
| „ „ Midwives | 14 | |
| Miscellaneous | 166 | |
| Total welfare visits | — | 5,478 |
| Visits—School Medical Service | 935 | |
| Tuberculosis—Home visits | 42 | |
| Visits to Nursing Homes | 55 | |
| Other visits | 21 | |
| Ineffectual visits | 1,184 | |
| — | 2,237 | |
| Total visits | 7,715 | |
| Half-days at Schools | 296 | |
| Half-days at Welfare Centres | 663 | |
| Half-days at Clinics | 645 |
The attendance of the children at the Centres has been
most satisfactory. The additional sessions held every Tuesday
afternoon at the Health Centre, Pelham Road, have been
thoroughly justified and have resulted in the lowering of the
average attendance from 122 in 1936 to 106 in 1938.
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