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20
History.
Nutrition centres.
As a result of nutrition surveys in the schools, it was ascertained that certain
children, found to be undernourished after extremely careful examination by an
experienced physician, were sent to voluntary general hospitals by the school care
committees.
They were found at the hospitals to have no disease, and were sent away with
nothing done; the parents were dissatisfied as well as the care committees, and the
suggestion was made that the school service referred to hospitals very trivial conditions
" which wasted the time of the hospital physicians."
On the other hand, a strong public opinion had grown up which held that the
local education authorities should do more for the ill-nourished child, especially in
the very earliest stages of malnutrition.
It was, therefore, decided to include in the 3-year programme, 1935-38, of the
school medical service, additional provision for full investigation at special inspection
centres of such children referred from the ordinary school medical inspections
; and, as the children concerned are those who show failure to reach the
normal condition of nutritional state for reasons not immediately apparent, the
arrangements proposed were termed " nutrition centres." It was decided to have
five centres, one in each medical administrative division.
Arrangements
As, during the experimental period, it was desirable that they should be immediately
under the observation of the divisional medical officer, a centre was chosen in
each division as near as possible to the divisional medical offices.
The divisional medical officers each nominated from the staff engaged in their
divisions an assistant medical officer (part-time) specially qualified in this work.
To each centre, an experienced nurse has been allotted and a specially selected
organiser with experience in social economics. At each centre, during the first year,
one session per week is being held.
The location of the centres and the medical officers nominated are given in the
following list. (The centres were established in May, 1935.)
North-west division. Divisional medical officer—Dr. R. H. Simpson.
Nutrition centre.—Paddington school treatment centre, 12, Maida Hill West, W.2.
Physician-in-charge.—Lindsey Willett Batten, M.B., B.Ch.(Camb.), M.R.C.P. ; visiting
medical officer, Children's hospital, Hampstead ; assistant physician. East London
hospital, Shadwell.
Session.—Thursday, 1.30 p.m.
North division.—Divisional medical officer—Dr. Margaret Hogarth.
Nutrition centre.—Hoxton school treatment centre, St. John's Road (M.D.) school,
Crondall-place, N.l.
Physician-in-charge.—Miss Evelyn Elizabeth Gourlay, M.D. (Gold Medal), London;
assistant medical officer, Royal Northern hospital.
Session.—Wednesday, 1.30 p.m.
North-east division.—Divisional medical officer—Dr. G. Chaikin.
Nutrition centre.—Poplar school treatment centre, 69, East India Dock-road, E.14.
Physician-in-charge.—Mired. Claude Mitchell Elman, M.D. (London), M.R.C.P. ; assistant
physician, Queen Mary's hospital for East End; physician, Margaret Street hospital
for consumption.
Session.—Wednesday, 1.30 p.m.
South-east division.-—Divisional medical officer.—Dr. H. R. Kidner.
Nutrition centre.—Divisional medical offices, 19, Breakspears-road, S.E.4.
Physician-in-charge.—Geo. Douglas Morgan, M.A. (Cantab.), M.R.C.P.: registrar, West End
hospital for nervous diseases ; assistant consultant, National children's home.
Session.—Tuesday, 9.30 a.m.
South-west division.—Divisional medical officer—Dr. C. N. Atlee.
Nutrition centre.-—Divisional medical offices, Stowey House, Clapham-common, S.W.4.
Physician-in-charge.—Miss Cicely May Peake, M.D. (London); senior physician, Elizabeth
Garrett Anderson hospital; physician, Marie Curie hospital, etc.
Session.—Tuesday, 9.30 a.m.
The functions of the centres have been set out above. It is possible to carry
out a more extended enquiry into the causes of the failure to reach a satisfactory
nutritional state in certain children than can be carried out in the press of ordinary
school medical inspection.