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
Southwark 1969
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southwark, Borough of]
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Social Medicine
The number of patients referred to health visitors continues to increase but the
numbers dealt with are not included in the overall volume of work carried out.
Education
The response to postgraduate education has increased considerably this year due to
the more frequent luncheons and the introduction of afternoon meetings.
Undergraduate Education
Regrettably the studentships offered to two students from Charing Cross Hospital
under the Sir Halley Stewart Trust were not accepted because of difficulties involving
grants from their own local authority.
It has become clear that it is difficult for students to fit a twelve week attachment
to general practice into their very full curriculum and consideration is being given to
revising the form of this type of undergraduate education in consultation with the Deans
of the Medical Schools.
STAFF MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
A senior medical officer,, with nursing assistance-, is responsible for the medical examination of new entrants to the staff and in certain circumstances of sick personnel. The following table gives details of this work.
| Officers | Manual Workers | |
|---|---|---|
| Medical questionnaires received and scrutinised | 655 | 1,086 |
| 160 | 621 | |
| working with children | 188 | - |
| sewerman etc. | - | 12 |
| absent from duty owing to sickness | 81 | 415 |
| absent due to sickness (special survey) | 41 | 541 |
| called up for review | 32 | 144 |
CHEST CLINICS
The three chest clinics in the Borough are situated at St. Giles' Hospital,
Bemondsey Health Centre, and the Health Services Department, Larcom Street: the two
latter clinics have the same Tuberculosis Care Committee. The Council reimburses the
hospital service a portion of the chest physicians' salary and provides health visitors,
social workers, occupational therapists and administrative staff.
Advice and assistance were given to patients with personal, domestic, occupational
and hygiene problems. Domiciliary visits were made and extra nourishment (milk, butter
and eggs) was given to necessitous cases on the recommendation of the chest physician:
24 cases were assisted compared with 17 in 1968.
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