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11
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 1935 will be found
in Appendix II, Table VII.
Bacteriological Work.
The council's bacteriological work is 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 work performed by the bacteriologist during 1935 was as follows:—
Disease suspected. Examinations. Positive.
Diphtheria 1,699 95
,, (virulence test) 3 1
Tuberculosis (sputum) 338 39
,, (faeces) 1 —
Typhoid fever (blood) 6 1
,, ,, (faeces) 6 —
Dysentery (blood) 6 —
„ (fæces) 1 —
Gonorrhoea.1 —
Scarlet fever (ear) 5 1
Vincent's angina 8 3
The following examinations were also carried out:—
Milk (bacterial count) 107
,, (tubercle bacilli) 25
The number of examinations carried out is up to the average of previous years.
In addition to the figures given above, 341 specimens of sputum were examined at the
tuberculosis dispensary.
Infant Life Protection.
At the end of the year there were in the borough 150 foster-mothers, and they had the care of
232 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. Ninety-three of the foster-children are under the age
of five years, and all but 7 who are seen regularly by private doctors, are in regular attendance at
infant welfare centres.
The following is a record of the work carried out by the infant life protection visitor:—
Visits paid to homes 1,405
Special visits paid 168
Children removed voluntarily 91
„ ,, compulsorily —
,, „ to hospital 15
Deaths reported 4
Cases in which there was cause for complaint 1
Cases recommended for prosecution 1
Foster-mothers added to register 36
,, ,, removed from register 47
,, ,, on register on 1st January 161
,, „ „ ,, 31st December 150
Foster-children „ ,, „ „ 232
From the above table it will be seen that one foster-mother was recommended for prosecution.
She had had the care of a child since August, 1934, but had failed to notify its reception under
Section 67 of the Children and Young Persons Act, 1932. The case was dismissed under the
Probation of Offenders Act, 1907.
Four deaths of foster-children were reported. Two inquests were held and in each case the
foster-mother was exonerated from blame. In the other two cases, enquiries were made, and it is
satisfactory to be able to report that there was no occasion for complaint against the foster-mothers.