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 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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33
Maternity
and child
welfare work
by voluntary
associations
The Maternity and Child Welfare Contributions (London) Scheme, 1937, for the
five years from 1st April, 1937, to 31st March, 1942, provides for payment by the
Council of grants in each of the financial years from 1937-38 to 1941-42, to 48 voluntary
associations. The scheme, as amended, provides for payment by the Council of
grants amounting to £31,433 6s. 8d. in the year 1938-39.
In the course of the year one baby home was closed on account of the expiration
of the lease and for financial reasons. An additional baby home was included in the
scheme.
An increase in the amount of grant to one mother and baby home was authorised.
The following table indicates the nature of the services which are aided by the Council for the year ended 31st March, 1939:—
| Number of associations at end of year | Description of service | Total of beds | Grant paid by the Council |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | |||
| 11 | — | ||
| — | |||
| 1 | 20 | ||
| 1 | — | ||
| 10 |
* 44 associations provide a single service and 4 associations provide more than one type of service.
Medical examination of staff
During the year 15,415 candidates and employees were referred to the department
for medical examination or investigation by the medical staff at County Hall,
These may be classified as follows (the comparable figures for the previous year being also shown):—
| Examinations of:— | 1938 | 1937 |
|---|---|---|
Of the applicants for appointment to the permanent service, 263 failed to pass
the medical examination.
As a result of the examinations of the staff, 299 officers were deemed to be
permanently unfit to carry out their ordinary duties in the service of the Council.
Under the Council's scheme for providing pensions to spouses and dependants
of contributors to the superannuation and provident fund, twenty applicants for
admission to the scheme were examined during the year, and, of these, three were
rejected on the ground that their expectation of life was deemed to be less than normal
for their age and sex.
Auxiliary
Fire Service
The Air Raid Precautions Act, 1937, placed upon the Council the duty of
preparing and carrying into effect schemes for the defence of London against aerial
attack. In the performance of this duty the Council created an emergency fire
brigade organisation capable of dealing with large numbers of fires in their
incipient stages. To this end, the first essential was the enrolment and training of a
large number of auxiliary firemen. These were enrolled into various categories
corresponding to the different types of duties to be performed. For those who were
to undertake the strenuous obligations of fire fighting duties it was considered
necessary to require a standard of physical fitness which was to be determined by
medical examination, conducted either by the Council's medical staff or by private
practitioners. Standards of fitness were prescribed by the medical officer of health,