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
City of Westminster 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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58
Health Visiting.—The following table shows the number of visits
paid in connection with the four centres:—
Table LVI.—Health Visiting.
| 1938 | Ebury Bridge. | Bessborough Street. | Marshall Street. | Marsham Street. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-natal— | |||||
| First visits | 260 | 230 | 131 | 171 | 792 |
| Other visits | 365 | 418 | 188 | 395 | 1,366 |
| Children under 1 year of age— | |||||
| First visits | 289 | 275 | 146 | 198 | 908 |
| Other visits | 991 | 733 | 673 | 973 | 3,370 |
| Children over 1 and under 5 years— | |||||
| Visits | 2,759 | 1,976 | 1,905 | 2,106 | 8,746 |
| Death enquiries, still-births, &c. | 27 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 76 |
| Infectious diseases | 499 | 370 | 214 | 289 | 1,372 |
Mothercraft.—Classes in mothercraft are held weekly at the various
centres, and health talks are given each week throughout the year in
connection with those classes. Various voluntary societies engaged in
health education have generously supplied lecturers. The subjects
covered by these lectures are set out on page 62.
Table LVII.—Mothercraft Classes.
| 1938. | Ebury Bridge. | Bessboro' Street. | Marshall Street. | Marsham Street. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of classes | 64 | 46 | 43 | 89 | 242 |
| Total attendances | 2,050 | 1,220 | 615 | 2,946 | 6,831 |
| Average attendances | 32.0 | 26.5 | 14.3 | 33.1 | 28.2 |
| Number of expectant mothers | 104 | 67 | 43 | 46 | 260 |
| Number of attendances by expectant mothers | 720 | 287 | 197 | 751 | 1.955 |
| Number of other mothers | 149 | 122 | 25 | 86 | 382 |
| Number of attendances by other mothers | 1,330 | 933 | 418 | 2,195 | 4,876 |
| Attendances of children in nurseries during classes | 1,306 | 967 | 501 | 3,085 | 5,859 |
Materials are purchased in quantity, and sold to the mothers at cost
price. The number of garments made at Ebury Bridge was 2,607; at
Bessborough Street, 832; at Marshall Street, 420; and at Marsham
Street, 1,489. Much work of a repair or remodelling nature is done to
old garments in the interests of family economy. An important feature
is the instruction of the mothers in knitting woollen garments.