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 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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38
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The Borough Council's Scheme of Maternity and Child Welfare work includes the following
amongst other activities :—
(a) 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
iniants.
(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.
(l) 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 work performed by the Women Health Officers in 1929 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) | 258 | 293 | 283 | 330 | 370 | 30 | 285 | 1,849 |
| Re-visits to Infants under the age of 12 months | 913 | 527 | 518 | 609 | 1,065 | 180 | 393 | 4,205 |
| Visits to Children between 1 and 5 years | 1,395 | 1,530 | 1,274 | 1,047 | 745 | 377 | 874 | 7,242 |
| Still-birth Enquiries | 5 | 9 | 7 | — | 16 | 2 | 1 | 40 |
| Visits to Ophthalmia Cases | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 11 | — | 4 | 37 |
| Return Visits to Ophthalmia Cases | 7 | 15 | 2 | 15 | 52 | — | 5 | 96 |
| Visits to Measles Cases | 46 | 18 | 35 | 14 | 67 | 7 | 99 | 286 |
| Visits to Whooping Cough Cases | 61 | 124 | 104 | 33 | 101 | 11 | 52 | 486 |
| Visits to Puerperal Fever Cases | 1 | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Visits to Puerperal Pyrexia Cases | 7 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 7 | — | 6 | 44 |
| Visits to Enteritis Cases | 42 | 29 | 56 | 18 | 27 | 2 | 9 | 183 |
| Infantile Death Enquiries | 16 | 33 | 25 | 37 | 43 | 3 | 31 | 188 |
| Investigations re Milk Applications | 66 | 31 | 97 | 76 | 122 | 14 | 17 | 423 |
| Ante-natal Visits | 40 | 61 | 62 | 122 | 183 | 62 | 131 | 661 |
| Half-days at Welfare Centres | 138 | 142 | 148 | 121 | 265 | 38 | 94 | 946 |
| Special Visits | 159 | 144 | 285 | 280 | 238 | 228 | 330 | 1,664 |
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 5 of the Appendix.
INFANT WELFARE CENTRES.
There are eight 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.
During the years 1928 and 1929, the Council have purchased the premises of four of the
Infant Welfare Centres, with the result that all the Infant Welfare Centres in the Borough are
now under satisfactory ownership. The premises acquired are those of the Bramley Road, Earl's
Court, Lancaster Road, and Raymede Centres. Kenley Street Infant Welfare Centre was built
by the Council on land purchased by them ; the Golborne Infant Welfare Centre is conducted on
premises owned by the Paddington Borough Council; the Archer Street Infant Welfare Centre
premises have been given by Mrs. Sidney Brown for permanent use as an Infant Welfare Centre,
and have been vested in three trustees, one of which is the Medical Officer of Health of Kensington;
and the Campden Hill Infant Welfare Centre premises were specially built by Mr. Booth, the
husband of one of the principal ladies at this Centre.