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
Hampstead 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hampstead Borough]
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The table shows the limited housing conditions in some of the
tenements where babies are born at home. It demonstrates that of
these 202 babies, 2 were born in one-roomed tenements and 69 in tworoomed
tenements. In 1 one-roomed tenement where 3 presons were
already living a baby was born. With regard to two-roomed homes,
in 4 instances 5 persons were already inhabiting the rooms prior to
the birth of the baby, in 2 cases the baby's advent raised the number
of occupants to 7, and in 2 cases to 9. In 2 three-roomed tenements
there were 7 persons occupying the rooms before the birth, and in 2
cases there were 9.
Health Visiting staff.
In connection with maternity and child welfare work, the Council
employs four Health Visitors; while 40 per cent. of the time of the
Woman Sanitary Inspector is also devoted to this work.
At the close of the year the Health Visitors had under their
supervision for systematic visiting 773 infants under one year of age
and 1,542 children aged between one and five years.
The minimum number of visits which the Health Vistors are now expected to pay to each child is as follows:—
| Age of child. | Visits paid. | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | At 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10 and 12 months | 7 |
| 1—2 years | Once every 3 months | 4 |
| 2—3 years | „ 4 „ | 3 |
| 3—4 years | „ 6 „ | 2 |
| „ 6 „ | 2 |
The following table gives a record of the work of the Health Visitors in 1935 :—
| † First visits to expectant mothers | 245 |
| Re-visits to expectant mothers | 237 |
| † First visits to infants under one year | 828 |
| Re-visits to infants under one year | 3703 |
| Visits to children from 1 to 2 years | 2572 |
| Visits to children from 2 to 5 years | 3566 |
| Visits to foster-mothers and foster-children | 838 |
| Visits re infectious diseases | 671 |
† Including visits to mothers and babies moving into the Borough an<
previously visited: