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
Wimbledon 1939
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
This page requires JavaScript
GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES
FOR THE AREA.
Laboratory Facilities.
The Corporation employ a part-time bacteriologist for the
examination of pathological specimens.
In addition, the laboratory provided at the Health Centre is
utilised for the examination of pathological specimens from the
Infectious Diseases Hospital. This work is carried out by the
staff of the Public Health Department.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE
The total number of visits paid by the Health Visitors
during 1939 amounted to 7,179, the figure for the previous year
being 7,715.
Details of the homo visits carried out are given below:-
| Number of Infants visited - First visits | 604 | ||
| Number of Infants visited - Re-visits | 1,278 | ||
| Number of Toddlers visited | 1,976 | ||
| Ante-natal - First visits | 394 | ||
| Ante-natal - Revisits | 251 | ||
| Visits re Infant Deaths | 9 | ||
| " Stillbirths | 11 | ||
| " " Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 25 | ||
| " " Puerperal Pyrexia | 3 | ||
| " " Non-notifiable Infectious Diseases | 10 | ||
| " " Milk Applications | 145 | ||
| " " Foster Children | 152 | ||
| " " Midwives | 15 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 224 | ||
| Total welfare visits | 5,097 | ||
| Visits - School Medical Service | 872 | ||
| Tuberculosis - Home Visits | 51 | ||
| Visits to Nursing Homes | 27 | ||
| Other visits | 16 | ||
| Ineffectual visits | 1,116 | ||
| 2,082 | |||
| Total visits | 179 | ||
The Maternity and Child Welfare Centres were closed on the
outbreak of war. Pelham Road Centre was re-opened on 12th September
and two sessions per week were hold regularly for the remainder of
the year. The average attendance during this period was 66.87.
Cottenham Park Centre was re-startod on 18th September, and the
average weekly attendance was 29.30. The Centre at Wandlc Park
House re-opened on 20th September and the average attendance was
53.82.
Ante-natal Clinic.
On the outbreak of war both Ante-Natal Clinics were closed.
The Pelham Road Ante-natal Clinic was re-started on 2nd October.
Dr. S. Taylor Harris, one of the Obstetric Assistants attached to
the Maternity Department of the Nelson Hospital, took charge of the
Clinic in place of Dr. Jocelyn Moore, who had been called up for
emergency war duty. The average weekly attendance was 17.8.
Arrangements were in hand at the end of the year for the Wandle Park
Ante-natal Clinic to be re-started in January, 1940.
6.