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 1926

The annual report on the health of the Borough for the year1926

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70
(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 subsidisation of a massage and electrical treatment centre for cases of infantile
paralysis, etc.
(I) Addresses on health and the prevention of disease by a Health Lecturer.
(m) The distribution of pamphlets and booklets giving advice on various matters concerning
the welfare of mothers and infants.
WOMEN HEALTH OFFICERS.
The principal Maternity and Child Welfare duties allotted to the Council's 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 and puerperal pyrexia.
5. To investigate applications under the Council's Scheme for the supply of milk and
meals free or below cost price.
6. To arrange for the admission of women to the maternity home and women and
children to Convalescent Homes, etc.
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
voluntary and salaried workers attached to these institutions.

Table: The work performed by the Women Health Officers in 1926 in regard to Maternity and Child Welfare is summarised in the following table :—

The work performed by the Women Health Officers in 1926 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)63013132692742883391,790
Re-visits to Infants under the age of 12 months1246495827929844938964.520
Visits to Children between 1 and 5 years4301,0221,0531,4459721,1585926,672
Still-birth Enquiries2145552740
Visits to Ophthalmia Cases121144417
Return Visits to Ophthalmia Cases1847722352
Visits to Measles Cases11451093592658419
Visits to Whooping Cough Cases4252866—411138
Visits to Puerperal Fever Cases2—1313111
Visits to Puerperal Pyrexia Cases—14—22—9
Visits to Enteritis Casesl44471451727155
Infantile Death Enquiries15231214212530140
Investigations re Milk Applications3858118809125166594
Ante-natal Visits626367256796110490
Half-days at Welfare Centres -259216913399136148802
Special Visits8472353052262432602882,404

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The visiting in connection with tuberculosis and factories and workshops is dealt with in the
sections of this report dealing with those subjects, and a complete record of the work performed
by each Woman Health Officer during the year appears in Table V. of the Appendix.
INFANT WELFARE CENTRES.
There are seven Voluntary Infant Welfare Centres in Kensington, and the Borough has been
mapped out into a similar number of areas with one Centre in each, an attempt having been made
to place each home in the area of that Centre most accessible to the mother.