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
Fulham 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]
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41
cate. Added to these three essential qualifications,
several health visitors hold qualifications in special
branches of nursing, as follows:—
One has had a complete fever training, with
special experience in tuberculosis ; one is a Queen's
Nurse ; a third has had special training in venereal
disease and in tropical diseases; six have had a
wide experience in practical midwifery; one has
specialised knowledge of massage and actinotherapy;
another was for several years a district
nurse for general and tuberculosis work.
There are seven health visitors working in the Department, and the scope of their work is indicated by the figures which follow:—
| First visits to infants under one month | 2,107 |
| Re-visits to infants under one month | 707 |
| First visits to infants between 1 and 12 months | 48 |
| Re-visits do. do. | 10,727 |
| First visits to infants between 1 and 3 years | 46 |
| Re-visits do. do | 4,564 |
| First visits to infants over 3 years of age | 58 |
| Re-visits do. do | 7,847 |
| Visits to cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 7 |
| „ Measles | 71 |
| „ Diarrhoea | 4 |
| „ Pneumonia | 11 |
| „ Puerperal Fever | 10 |
| „ Puerperal Pyrexia | 21 |
| Ante-natal visits | 1,512 |
| Other visits | 109 |
Each Health Visitor has one seventh of the
Borough as her area, and the Health Visitors'
office is in the Town Hall. The work of the
whole Department is controlled by the Maternity
and Child Welfare Act, 1918, and a large proportion
of the work of the Health Visitors is
dependent upon the Notification of Births Act,
1907. By the provisions of this Act every birth
or still-birth must be notified to the local authority.
The Health Visitor calls as soon as the doctor or