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
St Pancras 1919
Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1919
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The Council subsidizes the provision of midwifery for St. Pancras residents by paying grants to the various agencies at the rate of as. per extern case and 10s. per intern case. The amounts paid in respect of 1919 were as follows:—
| £ | s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Free Hospital and Marlborough Maternity Section | 58 | 0 | 0 |
| Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital | 21 | 15 | 0 |
| Maternity Nursing Association | 62 | 5 | 0 |
| Queen Charlotte's Lying-in-Hospital | 68 | 10 | 0 |
| City of London Maternity Hospital | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| £233 | 10 | 0 |
Widowed, deserted and unmarried mothers and their children.—Attention was
given to this subject during the year, and the Medical Officer of Health was
asked to report upon it. His report is set out below in full:—
To the Chairman and Members
of the Public Health Committee.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On April 30th last the Council had before them a report from your
Committee on the question of the care of widowed, deserted and unmarried
mothers and their children, but in view of the confusion arising from the fact
that the Guardians of the Poor undertake certain responsibility for such cases
110 action was then recommended.
On July 23rd the matter was again before the Committee, and the Council
on July 30th approved of an instruction that your Medical Officer of Health
should present a report on the subject. The question has also been considered
by the Board of Guardians, and on July 30th a deputation of that Board was
received by the Council, and expressed the view that the Council ought to
exercise their powers in this direction and that it was desirable that they
should co-operate with the Guardians in the matter. The representatives
of the Guardians also conferred with the Public Health Committee on
September 24th.
The powers of the Council in this connection are derived from the Maternity
and Child Welfare Act, 1918, which enables them to make such arrangements
as may be sanctioned by the Ministry of Health for attending to the health of
expectant and nursing mothers and of children under five. The Regulations
made by the Local Government Board on August 9th, 1918, include the
following amongst the services in respect of which the Board (now the
Ministry of Health) will pay grants to local authorities and others, which will
as a rule be at the rate of one-half expenditure incurred with the Board's
approval, viz.:—
" (10.) Expenses of creches and day nurseries and of other arrangements for
attending to the health of children under live years of age whose mothers go
out to work."
" 12.) The provision of homes and other arrangements for attending to the health
of children of widowed, deserted and unmarried mothers, under five years of
age", and