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
Kensington 1924
The annual report on the health of the Borough for the year1924
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30
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The Borough Council's Scheme of Maternity and Child Welfare work includes the following
amongst other activities:—
(a) The Home Visiting of expectant and nursing mothers and children by the Council's
staff of Women Health Officers.
(b) Co-ordination of the work of the Voluntary Maternity and Child Welfare Institutions in
the Borough.
(c) The subsidisation of the Voluntary Infant Welfare Institutions.
(d) The provision of "Home Helps."
(e) The provision of Hospital accommodation for infants.
(f) The provision of Convalescent Home accommodation for mothers and infants.
(g) The provision of home nursing for sick mothers and infants.
(h) The supply of milk and meals free or at a reduced price to necessitous mothers and
infants.
(i) The provision of a Maternity Home.
(j) Arrangements for the treatment of ophthalmia neonatorum and zymotic enteritis.
(k) The distribution of pamphlets and booklets giving advice on various matters concerning
the welfare of mothers and infants.
WOMEN HEALTH OFFICERS.
The Maternity and Child Welfare duties allotted to the Women Health Officers are as
follow:—
1. To visit the homes of all newly-born children amongst the working classes within
21 days after birth, and subsequently as circumstances indicate.
2. To visit the homes and make investigations in regard to still-births and infantile
deaths.
3. To visit and give advice to parents in cases of ophthalmia, zymotic enteritis and other
diseases causing deaths amongst infants.
4. To visit and report upon all cases of puerperal fever.
5. To investigate applications under the Council's Scheme for the supply of milk and
meals free or below cost price.
These officers also attend at the Infant Welfare Centres in their respective areas on doctors'
consultation days in order to assist in the work and to co-ordinate their efforts with those of the
salaried and voluntary workers attached to these institutions.
The work performed by the Women Health Officers in 1924 in regard to Maternity and Child Welfare is summarised in the following table:—
| Description of Work. | Health Officers. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | No. 2. | No. 3. | No. 4. | No. 5 | No. 6. | No. 7. | Total. | |
| Visits to Infants under the age of 21 days. (First Visits) | 10 | 327 | 322 | 294 | 292 | 348 | 365 | 1,958 |
| Re-visits to Infants under the age of 12 months | 119 | 919 | 593 | 850 | 1,075 | 638 | 822 | 5,016 |
| Visits to Children between 1 and 5 years | 406 | 1,134 | 1,087 | 1,333 | 1,063 | 1,104 | 671 | 6,798 |
| Still-birth Enquiries | 2 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 52 |
| Visits to Ophthalmia Cases | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| Return Visits to Ophthalmia Cases | 5 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 48 |
| Visits to Measles Cases | 31 | 116 | 162 | 54 | 72 | 47 | 111 | 593 |
| Visits to Whooping Cough Cases | 2 | 30 | 56 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 46 | 151 |
| Visits to Puerperal Fever Cases | 1 | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 7 |
| Visits to Enteritis Cases | 1 | 26 | 15 | 3 | — | 2 | 10 | 57 |
| Infantile Death Enquiries | 14 | 35 | 30 | 17 | 23 | 25 | 37 | 181 |
| Investigations re Milk Applications | 43 | 133 | 53 | 60 | 4 | 81 | 144 | 518 |
| Ante-natal Visits | 31 | 85 | 13 | 11 | 47 | 85 | 109 | 381 |
| Half-days at Welfare Centres | 15 | 97 | 132 | 145 | 133 | 118 | 140 | 780 |
| Special Visits | 1,339 | 235 | 128 | 195 | 258 | 235 | 206 | 2,596 |
The visiting in connection with tuberculosis and factories and workshops is dealt with in the
sections of this report dealing with these subjects, and a complete record of the work performed
by each Woman Health Officer during the year appears in Table VII. of the Appendix.