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

View report page

Southall 1946

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]

This page requires JavaScript

Scabies Clinic.
The total number of attendances at the clinic for treatment of scabies and other skin
conditions during 1946 was 3,978. Details of the cases were as follows :—
Scabies First Visits 384, Re-attendances 1,147, Total 1,531.
Other skin conditions „ ,,210 „ 1,208 „ 1,418.
Verminous heads „ „ 542 „ 359 „ 901.
Attendances at the cleansing station increased during 1946. The total number—
3,978—compares with a total number of 3,946 in 1945.
The treatment of many of these conditions saved the patients wearisome attendances
at London hospitals and in many cases hospital attendance would have been very difficult
for the patients affected because of the considerable areas of skin diseased and the resultant
difficulty in travelling.
The increase in attendances for the treatment of vermin is possibly due to the fact
that routine inspection for cleanliness in schools is under the aegis of the Public Health
Department, a greater number of children subsequently being cleansed at the cleansing
station by arrangement with the Middlesex County Council instead of being treated on
school premises.
Ambulance Service.
During 1946 the ambulance vehicles were stationed at Salisbury Road Civil Defence
Depot, and were manned by specially appointed driver-attendants.
All users of the civil ambulance service are expected to produce a medical certificate
to justify the free use of the ambulance.
Details of the work of this service are as follows :—

Table B

Ordinary cases removed to hospital or home4,956
Accidents514
Total5470
Miles travelled in the period51,927

Poor Law Medical Relief.
The Relieving Officer issued 403 Medical Orders during 1946. Some of these cases
also received outdoor relief or institutional treatment.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE
Health Visiting.
Arrangements for health visiting which were instituted in the middle of 1946, because
of the transfer of school medical duties to the Public Health Department, were continued
during the year.
In order to obtain a complete sequence of visiting throughout the child's life, it is
desirable that the districts are so divided that each health visitor is responsible for visiting
expectant mothers, infants and school children in designated areas, and that they, as far
as possible, conduct clinics to which the various members of these families attend, and
therefore the Borough is divided into eight districts and one health visitor allotted to each
area. Each health visitor is therefore responsible in her own area for all health visiting
work, including infectious disease, visiting of expectant mothers, visits and re-visits to
infants and school children, following-up of defaulters from dental clinics, and the cleansing
station, and for special clinics and for the investigation of infectious disease in schools.
9