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St. Giles' Centre, Short's Gardens.
The attendance at this Branch Centre during the year 1933 were as
follows:—
Thursday—Medical Consultation—2—4.30 p.m.
No. of Sessions 51
Total attendances—Children 477
Mothers 47
Expectant Mothers 27
Average weekly attendances—Children 9
Mothers 1
The total number of attendances made by the Health Visitors at the Municipal
Centres in 1933 was 437, and in addition Health Visitor students made 199
attendances at the Municipal Centres.
At the Holborn Centre, No. 10, John Street, 5,770 attendances were made by
270 mothers and 76 expectant mothers, and 530 children, of whom 277 were under
one year, 77 between one and two years old, and 176 aged 2-5 years on the date
of their first attendance.
At the St. Giles' Centre, Short's Gardens, 981 attendances were made by 37
mothers and 85 children, of whom 44 were under one year, 14 from one to two
years and 27 between two and five years.
Ante-natal Hygiene.
Under the scheme for the voluntary notification of pregnancy which came into
force in January, 1928, 58 voluntary notifications were received during 1933 as
compared with 78 in 1932. All these expectant mothers, as well as those already
known to the Health Visitors through other sources, were visited in their homes
and informed, both verbally and by means of a leaflet, of the special facilities
available in Holborn; they also received instruction in the hygiene of pregnancy,
and if not already in attendance at an ante-natal centre they were advised to
attend.
Confinement in Institutions in Relation to Housing Conditions.
Expectant mothers whose home circumstances make confinement at home
especially undesirable are advised to enter hospital for confinement. In order to
provide accommodation for those who are willing to take this advice an arrangement
has been made with one of the principal Maternity Hospitals within reach
of Holborn to accept normal cases on social grounds only.
Special records have been kept of the home conditions of 180 expectant
mothers visited during 1933, each case being followed up either to a successful
issue or until it bccame clear that the woman would not enter hospital.
Of the 96 who went into hospital:—
29 (14 primigravidæ) lived in a one-room homo;
67 (24 primigravidæ) lived in a two or more roomed home.
Of the 84 who remained at home: —
7 (2 primigravidæ) lived in a one-roomed home;
51 (5 primigravidæ) lived in two rooms;
26 (1 primigravidæ) lived in three or more rooms;