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 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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The following are the records for 1938 :—
| Sessions at which doctors attended for infant consultations | 163 | |
| Sessions at which doctors attended for mothers' consultations | ||
| Individual mothers who attended | 234 | |
| Individual children who attended (old) | 371 | |
| Individual children who attended (new) | 608 | |
| Attendances of mothers for all purposes (excluding the accompanying of children) | 964 | |
| Attendances of children for all purposes | 0-1 year | 1,316 |
| 1-5 years | 8,615 | |
| been by doctor at consultations :— | ||
| Mothers | 964 | |
| Children | 3,662 | |
| Average number seen by doctor at consultations :— | ||
| Mothers | 19 | |
| Children | 25 | |
| Individual children weighed | 979 | |
| Weighings | 3,650 | |
| Sessions held | 46 |
| Individual patients treated, 0-1 year | 250 |
| „ „ 1-5 years | 428 |
| Attendances of patients at doctors' consultations | 1,027 |
| Average attendances at doctors' consultations | 22 |
| Total attendances for treatment, etc. | 1,099 |
| „ „ patients 0-1 year | 452 |
| „ „ „ 1-5 years | 647 |
The Baby In-Patient Hospital, No. 1, Ladbroke Square.
This institution acts as the in-patient department of the baby clinic. The wards are capable
of accommodating 30 beds. Four beds are reserved for children recommended by the Kensington
infant welfare centres, but all the beds are available for children belonging to the borough.
The three medical officers of the council who conduct the infant consultation sessions at the
infant welfare centres meet the medical staff of the baby hospital in consultation each week and
discuss the treatment and after-care of the Kensington infants in the hospital. The value of this
excellent co-operation between those responsible for the preventive treatment and those in charge
of the curative treatment of these children is very great.
following is the record for 1938 :—
| Infants in residence at commencement of the year | 23 |
| Admissions | 249 |
| Discharges | 241 |
| Deaths | 7 |
| Infants in residence at end of the year | 24 |
| Average duration of stay in hospital | 31 days. |
Orthopaedic Treatment.
In the course of the routine medical examination at the infant welfare centres, particular
attention has been paid to posture and the presence of orthopaedic deformities.
Infants presenting rachitic deformities are referred to the baby clinic, where they attend for
ultra-violet light and massage, the severe cases needing continuous splinting being admitted to the
baby hospital.
Knock-knee and flat-foot in the pre-school child and any congenital deformities needing operative
or manipulative treatment are referred to the orthopaedic clinic at the Princess Louise hospital.
From the South Kensington clinics, children needing orthopaedic treatment are referred to
the Princess Beatrice hospital or to the Victoria hospital for Children, Chelsea.