London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Heston and Isleworth 1936

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]

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Hospital as a result of his preliminary examination, and who will subsequently be admitted in;o
a County Hospital for their confinements, transmitting the necessary records and following up
patients by visiting as required.
There is no doubt that this will very considerably expand the work at the Ante-Natal
Clinic, but will also no doubt prove a very valuable link between the County Council and the local
Maternity and Child Welfare Schemes.

Ante-Natal Clinic.

The following are the figures of attendances at the Clinic :—

1933193419351936
Attendances by Expectant Mothers during the year73883112081251
Average Attendance per Session14.214.011.512.1
Number of Sessions5259105103
No. of Mothers attending Ante-Natal Clinic shown as a percentage of total notified live and still births28.031.832.831.2
Total number of expectant Mothers who attended the Clinic during the year373419464444

There were in addition 15 Post-Natal Cases, who made 16 attendances.
During the year Dr. A. J. Wrigley, M.D., F.R.C.S., resigned his appointment as Obstetric
Specialist to the Borough on his appointment to the post of full Obstetric Physician to St.
Thomas's Hospital.
His place has been taken here by Dr. R. K. Bowes, M.S., M.D., F.R.C.S., who also
succeeds to the post which was his as Physician in charge of the Out-Patients at St. Thomas's
Hospital.
I want to place on record my very deep appreciation of the way in which Dr. Wrigley
handled the Ante-Natal Clinic whilst he was in charge of it. He entered fully into the Public
Health aspect of the work and never allowed anything to stand in the way if he could possibly
avoid it, to prevent him taking a responsible and active share in the work, and it is undoubtedly
due to his ability to gain the confidence of the mothers of the district that the Clinic has accomplished
the excellent work it has done in the years gone by.
The mantle of Dr. Wrigley has fallen on Dr. Bowes whose vision is as keenly set on the
Public Health side of the work as was that of his predecessor. The link with St. Thomas's
Hospital makes a lot of difficulties which would loom large, disappear into thin air. The liaison
between St. Thomas's and ourselves is very very valuable to the district, be it special investigations,
special radiographic reports and things of that kind, they are all accomplished with the
minimum of trouble and maximum of efficiency.
Toddler's Clinics.
The question of Toddlers' Clinics is foreshadowed when accommodation is available. The
opening of the new Isleworth Health Centre at Busch Corner it is hoped will be made the occasion
for instituting in the following Autumn a definite Toddlers' Clinic.
MATERNAL MORTALITY.
There is now available for every pregnant woman in the area
(a) An Ante-Natal Specialist,
(b) An Obstetric Specialist in case of difficulty at the confinement,
(c) A Specialist in case of Puerperal Fever,
(d) Beds provided at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, in case further is required,
(e) Sterilized maternity outfits for very poor mothers confined at home.
In addition to this, from the dental side there is provision of everything that can ensure
that the mother's mouth is cleaned before her confinement. Where this necessitates the removal
of large numbers of teeth, there is the provision subsequently of dentures. Where the extractions
are numerous, in order that the expectant mother shall get the least possible upset, an arrangement
exists with the Royal Free Hospital (Eastman Dental Clinic), to admit the patients to their beds
for one or two nights, as may be necessary, for which we pay at the rate of 15s. per night.
Thus, I think without fear of contradiction, we can say that in this area we have one of
the most complete schemes, if not the most complete, in the country for ensuring the safety of
iur parturient women.
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