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70
St. Giles' Centre, Short's Gardens.
The attendance at this Branch Centre during the year 1934 were as
follows: —
Thursday—Medical Consultation—2—4.30 p.m.
No. of Sessions 50
Total attendances—Children 475
Mothers 28
Expectant Mothers 12
Average weekly attendances 10
The total number of attendances made by the Health Visitors at the Municipal
Centres in 1934 was 415, and in addition Health Visitor students made 158
attendances at the Municipal Centres.
At the Holborn Centre, No. 10, John Street, 5,409 attendances were made by
336 mothers and 56 expectant mothers, and 523 children, of whom 246 were under
one year, 91 between one and two years old, and 186 aged 2.5 years on the date
of their first attendance.
At the St. Giles' Centre, Short's Gardens, 515 attendances were made by 17
mothers and 77 children, of whom 38 were under one year, 15 from one to two
years and 24 between two and five years.
Ante-natal Hygiene.
Under the scheme for the voluntary notification of pregnancy which came into
force in January, 1928, 56 voluntary notifications were received during 1934 as
compared with 58 in 1933. 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 139 expectant
mothers visited during 1934, each case being followed up either to a successful
issue or until it became clear that the woman would not enter hospital.
Of the 77 who went into hospital: —
12 (6 primigravidæ) lived in a one-room home;
65 (22 primigravidæ) lived in a two or more roomed home.
Of the 62 who remained at home : —
3 lived in a one-roomed home;
33 (2 primigravidæ) lived in two rooms;
26 lived in three or more rooms.