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 1942
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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19
During the dense fog on 11-12th November, 1942, heavy calls were made on
the London Ambulance Service. In all 200 accident calls and 267 general calls
were dealt with on 11th November, of which 96 accident calls and 21 general calls
were received between 6 p.m. and midnight. Owing to the large number of calls
and the length of time taken to reach the scene of many of the accidents, the regular
fleet of vehicles proved insufficient and the auxiliary ambulances, at that time
normally reserved for air-raid casualties, were brought into use. The density of the fog
made it necessary to increase the numbers of many of the ambulance crews, so that
one or more members could act as guides. All the staff responded with success
to the heavy demands made on them, and the work was undertaken in an excellent
spirit, and in no case was there any failure of an ambulance to reach the scene of
the accident, though there was, of course, much delay.
SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE
Government evacuation scheme
The following is a summary of the numbers sent to receiving areas under the
evacuation scheme, comparable figures for 1941 being given in brackets:—
| Over 5 years of age | 3,307 | (14,136) |
| Under 5 years of age | 50 | (7,386) |
| Mothers of "under fives" | 38 | (6,894) |
| Over 5 years of age | 1 | (49) |
| Under 5 years of age | 30 | (287) |
| Total | 3,426 | (28,752) |
All those evacuated in 1942 were medically examined before leaving London.
Arrangements continue for evacuating "handicapped" children, i.e., mentally
and physically defective, blind, deaf, diabetic children and those with tuberculous
history, and also for unaccompanied children under 5 years of age. These children
are sent to special residential parties in the receiving areas.
The particulars of these special parties in December were as follows:—
| Number of parties | Number in residence | Accommodation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential nurseries (0-2 years) | 23 | 650 | 774 |
| „ nursery schools (2-5 years) | 38 | 1,592 | 1,759 |
| „ schools for the physically defective | 11 | 677 | 810 |
| „ „ for the mentally defective | 8 | 614 | 826 |
| „ „ blind, deaf, diabetic and those with tuberculous histories | 9 | 353 | 436 |
| Total | 89 | 3,886 | 4,605 |
All these special parties remain under the administration of the education
officer. A local visiting medical practitioner is appointed to each party and routine
medical inspection and treatment of school defects is carried out through the auspices
of the local school medical or maternity and child welfare services. Children
requiring hospital treatment are admitted either to E.M.S. hospitals or to local
infectious diseases hospitals.