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Municipal Dentist.
To complete the Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme for
the Borough, the Council decided to appoint a Municipal wholetime
Dentist. An excellent dental surgery, together with waiting
and recovery rooms, has been fitted up at 98, Rotherhithe
New Road, and also a dental workshop. Mr. Grantly Smith,
H.D.D., Edin., L.D.S., Lond: was appointed Municipal Dentist,
and commenced duty a few days before the close of the year.
A dental nurse and dental mechanic were also appointed.
Two sessions are held daily, and the numbers attending are
steadily increasing.
A full report of this branch of the work will be given in the
next Annual Report.
Municipal Midwives.
The Council early in the year had under consideration the
inadequate midwifery service in the Borough, and decided to
overcome this by appointing two Municipal Midwives.
The local midwives were consulted as to the districts in
which the shortage was most acute, and also as to the fees to be
charged. It was ultimately decided to make the Rotherhithe end
of the Borough the headquarters for the Municipal Midwives,
and rooms for them were rented over the Public Baths, Lower
Road.
Owing, however, to the publicity given to this matter
in the press, a number of new midwives commenced practising
in the Borough, and, in a few months, the original number was
more than doubled. In addition, several doctors took up this
work, and it soon became evident that the Municipal Midwives
would not get sufficient bookings to keep them fully occupied.
The Council, thereupon, carefully reconsidered the matter, and
came to the conclusion that as their action had had the desired
effect of increasing the number of midwives in the Borough, they
might now discontinue the municipal service.
District Nurse.
In January, 1920, representations were made to the Public
Health Committee that the number of nurses available for