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
Bermondsey 1938
Report on the sanitary condition of the Borough of Bermondsey for the year 1938
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IV. LIGHT TREATMENT, ELECTROTHERAPY
AND MASSAGE.
The following table shows the work done in the Solarium during 1938:—
| Total Number of Attendances | 49,343 |
| Number of Individual Patients | 2,102 |
| Number of Treatments | 99,111 |
| Massage | 8,011 |
| Medical Electricity | 3,350 |
| Diathermy | 8,514 |
| Physical Exercises | 2,552 |
| Radiant Heat | 22,249 |
| Light | 49,343 |
| Ultra Violet Local | 4,502 |
| Mechanical Vibratory Massage | 117 |
| Q-Ray Pad | 483 |
| Number of Medical Examinations | 4,445 |
| Number of New Cases | 1,208 |
During 1938, the alterations which were proposed in last
year's Annual Report have been completed. The nurses' room
has been fitted with radiant heat lamps and a new room has been
built for the nurses. The extra radiant heat lamps have been a
very great advantage, and many more patients have been able to
have this as a preliminary to other forms of treatment. The
number of radiant heat treatments given has been increased by
8,840.
Several diathermy and medical electricity machines have
been added to the equipment. All this apparatus has been in
constant use, with the result that diathermy treatments have
increased by nearly 5,000, and medical electricity treatments by
2,595.
Four hundred more individual patients have attended during
the year, and nearly 17,000 more treatments have been given.
Massage has also increased by 2,000 treatments.
Patients are now able to have more frequent treatment, with
the result that they do not need to attend for such long periods as
formerly.