London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Stoke Newington 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stoke Newington, The Metropolitan Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
The Circular also states that the success of any efforts to secure
adequate supervision of the health of young children will depend, to
a large extent, on the efficiency of the Health Visiting Staff, and that
in many areas it may be necessary to increase that staff.
For the information of the Council the following table is submitted showing the home visits paid by the Health Visiting Staff during the period 1927 to 1935:
| Year. | Expectant Mothers | Infants Under One Year | Children 1-5 | Total Visits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 69 | 4,242 | 1,022 | 5,333 |
| 1928 | 297 | 3,724 | 2,079 | 6,100 |
| 1929 | 318 | 3,749 | 1,735 | 5,802 |
| 1930 | 356 | 3,491 | 1,910 | 5,757 |
| 1931 | 379 | 3,272 | 1,888 | 5,539 |
| 1932 | 359 | 3,111 | 2,005 | 5,475 |
| 1933 | 402 | 2,850 | 2,370 | 5,622 |
| 1934 | 347 | 2,747 | 3,300 | 6,394 |
| 1935 | 466 | 2,791 | 3,350 | 6,607 |
An analysis of these records shows that:
1. The number of visits to expectant mothers has increased very
considerably during this period.
2. The number of visits to infants under one year has decreased.
This may be partly accounted for by the reduction in the number of
births.
3. The number of visits to children 1 to 5 shows an annual increase
for the years 1932 to 1935, the latter figure being more than
three times the total for the year 1927.
4. The number of total visits shows a general increase between
the years 1932 and 1935.
Comparing the table of home visits with that given for the attendances,
it will be noted that the definite progressive annual
94