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This Council however expressed the opinion that the administration
of a service of this kind should be entrusted to the Metropolitan
Borough Councils and not the London County Council.
The Midwives Act received the Royal Assent on July 31st,
1936. The Authorities for the purposes of this Act are the Local
Supervisory Authorities under the Midwives Act, 1902.
It will accordingly become the duty of the London County
Council to make arrangements for the employment of certified
midwives as whole time servants for attendance on women in their
own homes as midwives or as maternity nurses during child-birth
and from time to time thereafter during a period not less than the
lying-in period.
CARE OF CHILDREN UNDER SCHOOL AGE.
Toddlers' Clinics.
In October of the year under review the Council considered
Circular No. 1550 received from the Minister of Health, in which
the Council were requested to review their arrangements for
supervising the health of children under school age, and to inform
him as soon as possible of the results of their consideration of this
Circular.
Among other matters referred to in the Circular, the Minister
stated that although he was convinced that arrangements for
safeguarding the health of children up to the age of 18 months or
two years were generally satisfactory, he was nevertheless concerned
to find that in many areas insufficient attention was given
to the health of children between the ages of 18 months and five
years, as a large number of children on admission to school —some
16 per cent, of admissions—were found to require treatment for
some disease or defect. The Minister stated that arrangements
should exist for the systematic periodical health visiting of young
children under the age of five, who remain at home and who do not
attend a Nursery School or the infants' department of elementary
schools, and referred in appreciative terms to arrangements made
for conducting Toddlers' Clinics for this purpose. The statement
was also made that it should be the duty of the Health Visitor on
paying a visit not only to make inquiries as to the state of health
of the children, but also to be on the look-out for any signs or
symptoms which suggested a departure from normal health, and
where necessary to advise the mother to consult the family doctor
or to take the child to the appropriate clinic for medical examination
without delay.
Some years ago a Toddlers' Medical Clinic was established at
the Peckham Municipal Centre, and parents were invited by letter
to bring their children for examination on their birthdays. This