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 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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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 1937 will be found
in Appendix II, Table V.
Bacteriological Work.
The council's bacteriological work is carried out at the laboratory at the Princess Louise
hospital. The bacteriologist is Dr. Bessie Cadness, who is a part-time officer of the council. She
also gives service to the Princess Louise hospital and to another London hospital.
The work performed during 1937 was as follows:-
| Disease suspected. | Examinations. | Positive. |
|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 1,669 | 22 |
| Scarlet fever | 7 | 2 |
| Tuberculosis | 715 | 79 |
| Typhoid fever. Blood | 10 | 1 |
| ,, Urine | 16 | — |
| ,, Fæces | 99 | — |
| ,, Post-mortem material | 3 | — |
| Paratyphoid | 16 | — |
| Dysentery (Sonne). Faeces | 267 | 32 |
| Morgan's bacillus | 1 | 1 |
| Gonorrhæa | 2 | — |
| Syphilis. W.R | 1 | — |
| Vincent's angina | 11 | — |
| Ringworm | 1 | — |
| Meningococcus. Throat | 5 | — |
The following examinations were also carried out:-
| Milk, general test | 71 | — |
| ,, for tubercle bacilli | 21 | 1 |
| ,, for streptococci | 5 | 5 |
| ,, for dysentery and typhoid | — | |
| Complete blood count | 1 | — |
| Urine, complete examination | 3 | — |
| Test for occult blood | 2 | — |
| Virulence tests | 2 | 2 |
| Water from public swimming baths | 29 | — |
| Miscellaneous | 9 | 6 |
Child Life Protection.
At the end of the year there were in the borough 122 foster-mothers, and they had the care of
131 children under the age of nine years who had been taken for reward. One of the council's
health visitors holds the appointment of child life protection visitor, and pays frequent visits
to every home where a foster-child is kept. Eighty-six of the foster-children are under the age
of five years, and all but twelve, 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 child life protection visitor:—
| Visits paid to homes | 1,361 |
| Special visits paid | 219 |
| Children removed voluntarily | 161 |
| ,, „ compulsorily | — |
| ,, ,, to hospital | 20 |
| Deaths reported | 3 |
| Cases in which there was cause for complaint | 3 |
| Cases recommended for prosecution | 1 |
| Foster-mothers added to register | 40 |
| ,, ,, removed from register | 42 |
| „ ,, on register on 1st January | 124 |
| „ „ „ „ 31st December | 122 |
| Foster-children ,, ,, „ „ | 131 |
From the above table it will be seen that in three cases there was cause for complaint.
Each of these was carefully considered by the maternity and child welfare committee,
and in only one case did they recommend proceedings to be taken. Having regard to the
conflicting nature of the evidence, it was decided at a later date to withdraw the prosecution.