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 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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51
The Battersea Branch are very glad to have Councillor Mrs. A. A,
Burton on their Committee as representative of the Health Committee
of the Battersea Borough Council.
The Branch Committee are much indebted to the Borough Council
for allowing them the use of offices at Southlands and for making a grant
of £50 a year for services rendered to children under five years of age.
They are most grateful to the Council for their generous help, and are
always very pleased to co-operate with them in any way that they can
in the care of the invalid and cripple children of the Borough.
Toddlers' Clinic.
In the last Annual Report I recorded the decision of the Council
to hold a weekly toddlers' clinic at each of the Council's six welfare
centres, commencing with the financial year 1938-9.
In the year 1938, therefore, there was throughout the year a
weekly toddlers' clinic held at Southlands, and during the last
nine months six weekly sessions held as under:—
Monday (a.m.) Chatham Hall.
Tuesday (p.m.) Southlands.
„ Gideon Road.
Thursday (a.m.) All Saints Hall.
Thursday (p.m.) Mundella Road.
Friday (p.m.) Plough Road
Institution.
To fill the appointment of medical officer made necessary by
this extension of the clinics the Council, on 22nd March, appointed
Dr. G. H. Newns, m.d., m.r.c.p., and he has since the beginning of
April attended all these clinics except the original one held at
Southlands, which remained in the charge of Dr. S. King, the
deputy Medical Officer of Health.
The defects found on medical inspection were as under, the table having been arranged as nearly as possible in the same order as that on page 18 relating to school children.
| Malnutrition | 58 | Lung defects | 53 |
| Skin disease | 61 | Nervous defects | 9 |
| Defective teeth | 134 | phthisis | — |
| Enlarged tonsils | 35 | Other Tb. disease | — |
| Adenoids | 7 | Evidence of past Rickets | 30 |
| Enlarged tonsils and adenoids | 55 | Spinal deformities | 2 |
| Other nose and throat defects | 4 | Other deformities (including knock knee, 72; flat foot, 19; bow legs, 18) | 120 |
| Enlarged glands | 8 | ||
| Eye disease | 17 | ||
| Vision defect | 18 | Other defects (including eneurisis 42 ; phimosis, 21; worms, 13; hernia., 15) | 151 |
| Otorrhoea | 13 | ||
| Other ear disease | 1 | ||
| Defective hearing | — | ||
| Speech defects | 7 | Total defects noted | 809 |
| Heart defects | 19 | ||
| Anaemia | 7 | Total children examined i | ,224 |
The above table and that following show that of 1,224
children examined 569 showed defects to the number of 809, while
655 showed no defects, defective teeth not being counted for this
purpose.