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13
GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES IN THE AREA.
Staff of the Council's Public Health Department.
A list of the total staff engaged in the public health department at the end of the year 1934
will be found in Appendix II, Table VII.
Bacteriological Work.
This was the first year in which the council's work was carried out in the laboratory at the
Princess Louise Hospital. The bacteriologist is Dr. Bessie Cadness, who was appointed jointly
by the council and the hospital. She gives part-time services to both authorities and is also engaged
on the staff of another London hospital. The arrangement has proved satisfactory.
The work performed by the bacteriologist during the year 1934 was as follows :—
Disease suspected. Examinations. Positive.
Diphtheria 1,501 111
„ (virulence test) 10 4
Tuberculosis (sputum) 286 37
Typhoid fever (blood) 5 —
„ (urine) 1 —
Dysentery 7 —
Gonorrhœa 17 2
Scarlet fever (ear) 1 —
Vincents angina 1 —
The following examinations were also carried out :—
Milk (bacterial count) 67
„ (tubercle bacilli) 29
The number of examinations carried out during the year is well up to the average of previous
years.
In addition to the figures given above, a number of samples from the council's public swimming
baths were examined, and the results showed that the water was of a very high degree of purity
from a bacteriological point of view ; also, 405 specimens of sputum were examined at the
tuberculosis dispensary.
Infant Life Protection.
At the end of the year there were in the borough 160 foster-mothers, and they had the care of
185 children under the age of nine years who had been taken for reward. One of the council's
health visitors holds the appointment of infant life protection visitor, and pays frequent visits
to every home where a foster-child is kept. One hundred and twenty of the foster-children are
under the age of five years, and all but 10, who are seen regularly by private doctors, are in regular
attendance at infant welfare centres.
During the year four deaths of foster-children were reported. Enquiries were made into each
case, and it is satisfactory to be able to report that there was no cause for complaint against the
foster-mothers.
The following is a record of the work carried out by the infant life protection visitor during
1934 :—
Visits paid to homes 1,583
Special visits paid 323
Children removed voluntarily 91
,, ,, compulsorily —
„ ,, to hospital 25
Deaths reported 4
Cases in which there was cause for complaint —
Cases recommended for prosecution —
Foster-mothers added to register 37
„ ,, removed from register. 13
,, „ on register on 1st January 136
„ „ ,, „ 31st December 160
Foster-children „ ,, „ 185
Professional Nursing in the Home.
As in past years, the Kensington district nursing association continued to carry out
professional nursing in the homes of the poor. The number of cases nursed during 1934 was
2,246 and the number of visits paid 47,464.