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
Wandsworth 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
Maternity and Child IV elf are. 63
On subsequent visits 121 infants under one month, 573 from one
to three months, 681 from three to six months, and 532 from six
to twelve months were still being mainly breast fed.
It was found that in 415 of the births, doctors had been in
attendance, while in 845 the services of midwives had been
utilised. 2,143 infants were born in hospitals and other institutions.
The following Table shows the number of occasions on which the Health Visitors attended clinics, etc.
TABLE XXIX.
| Clapham. | Putney. | Balham. | Streatham. | Tooting. | Wandsworth. | Whole Borough. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendances at:— | |||||||
| Infant Welfare Centres | 148 | 239 | 157 | 398 | 268 | 442 | 1652 |
| Diphtheria Prevention Clinics | — | — | 48 | — | — | 45 | 93 |
| Ante-natal Clinics | 22 | 29 | 28 | 47 | 22 | 40 | 188 |
| Visits to Crcèhes | — | 19 | 10 | — | — | 19 | 48 |
| Committee Meetings | 3 | 18 | - | 3 | 10 | 3 | 37 |
Maternity and Child Welfare Centres.
There are now 12 Infant Welfare Centres in the Borough.
They are voluntary institutions administered by the Committees
of the Centres who work in close co-operation with the Maternity
and Child Welfare Committee of the Council. The Council pay
75 per cent, of the approved expenditure of each Centre.
Each Centre has a medical officer who is appointed by the
Committee of the Centre, and a trained Superintendent. In three
of the Centres the Superintendent is an officer of the Centre
Committee, while in the other nine Centres one of the Council's
Health Visitors acts in this capacity.