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
Battersea 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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The work carried out during 1928 by the Council's Health Visitors and those of the voluntary organisations included in the Borough Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme is summarised in the following table:—
| C'cl. | Vol. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visits to Expectant Mothers | 2,129 | 411 | 2,540 |
| Visits to Notified Births | 6,738 | 1,675 | 8,413 |
| Visits to Still Births | 78 | 4 | 82 |
| Visits to children aged 1-5 years | 2,701 | 1,662 | 4,363 |
| Visits to enquire into Infant Deaths | 156 | 44 | 200 |
| Visits to cases of Notifiable Infectious Disease | 6,632 | 999 | 7,631 |
| Visits to cases of Non-Notifiable Disease | 366 | 202 | 568 |
| Visits re prevention of Diphtheria | 310 | 3 | 313 |
| Visits re Summer Diarrhoea | 405 | 211 | 616 |
| Visits to Dental Cases | 217 | 39 | 256 |
| Visits to V.D. Cases | 30 | - | 30 |
| Other Visits | *1,487 | 777 | 2,264 |
| 21,249 | 6,027 | 27,276 |
St. Thomas's Cornwall Babies' Hostel.
The arrangements temporarily made in 1926 with St. Thomas's
Cornwall Babies' Hostel, with the sanction of the Ministry of Health,
for the provision of facilities for cases sent from the Borough
Maternity and Child Welfare Clinics for test feeding and the encouragement
of breast feeding amongst Battersea mothers, were
continued during 1927 and 1928.
The results of the year's work have been very promising and
are summarised below
A. Test Feeds.
Number of cases, 123, comprising: Mothers, 123;
babies, 126. Number of attendances, 295. (146
mothers and 149 babies).
16 of these cases received in-patient treatment.
B. In-Patient Treatment.
40 Battersea cases received, made up of—
17 mothers and 21 babies sent by Council.
2 babies sent from other sources.
Period of stay.
38 cases sent by Council—
17 mothers and 21 babies, 979 days {Average 25.8 days}
2 other cases—
children, 26 days; Average 13 days.
*Includes 320 visits in connection with the flood which occurred in
January, 1928.