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
London County Council 1926
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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70. The following statement furnishes some interesting particulars as to London cases to whom leave of absence from certified institutions has been granted with a view to ultimate discharge.
| Nome of institution. | On leave of absence on 1/1/20. | Granted leave of absence during 1926. | No. of licences revoked during 1926. | No. of cases on licence whose orders were discharged during 1926. | No. of cases on licence transferred to guardianship. | Died whilst on leave during 1926. | No. of cases still on licence on 31/12/26. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | |
| The Manor, Epsom | 33 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 37 | 32 |
| Farmfield, Horley | 5 | _ | 14 | _ | 3 | _ | 1 | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | 15 | _ |
| Brunswick House, Mistley | 7 | - | 5 | — | 2 | - | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — |
| South Side Home, Streatham | 3 | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | — | - | - | — | - | 8 | |
| "Contract" institutions | 13 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 20 | 25 |
| Total | 58 | 43 | 56 | 38 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 1 | 79 | 65 |
| 195 | 38 | 9 | 144 | |||||||||||
71. The proportion borne by the number of cases to whom licence was granted
with a view to ultimate discharge to the total number of cases receiving institutional
care was about 1 to 12½. This proportion is considerably higher than during 1925,
when it was about 1 to 15. Nineteen per cent, of the cases on licence failed to make
good during 1926, and the licences had to be revoked. In 1925 such cases amounted
to 20 per cent.
72. The policy of granting leave of absence in suitable cases with a view to
ultimate discharge is advocated by the Board of Control and was developed so far
as was possible during 1926. The results of this policy during the year were much
the same as during 1925, and the observations set out in the last Annual Report
(Vol. II., p. 39, par. 53) apply with equal force.
Statistics.
73. In the absence of any directions by the Board of Control as to the form
in which statistics required by No. 28 of the Mental Deficiency Act Provisional
Regulations, 1914, shall be submitted, the Council submits the following tables,
which continue, for the year ended 31st December, 1926, the information tabulated
on p. 40 of the last Annual Report (Vol. II.) :—
Statistics
of cases
dealt with.
Sources from which information has been received of cases of alleged mental defect.
| Source of information. | ||
|---|---|---|
| London Association for the Care of the Mentally Defective | 865 | 95 |
| Local Education Authority | 3,899 | 280 |
| Poor Law Authority | 393 | 40 |
| Police authority (Section 8) | 747 | 88 |
| Transfers from Prisons (Section 9) | 146 | 9 |
| Transfers from Industrial schools (Section 9) | 350 | 28 |
| Miscellaneous | 1,658 | 190 |
| Total number of oases of which information was received | 8,058 | 730 |
Action taken on above cases.
(a) Position at 31st December, 1926, with regard to the 8,058 oases referred to in the first column of the preceding table—
| Detained— | |
| In institutions provided by the Council | 1,302 |
| In institutions under contract | 1,167 |
| Under guardianship | 41 |
| In places of safety awaiting the presentation of a petition for an order | 24 |
| Total number of cases detained | 2,534 |