London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1948

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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57
generally a trained almoner staff available to advise and assist women but such
staff are not available in male clinics, although in some cases experienced male
orderlies are able to give individual advice.
The use of posters and propaganda literature in the clinics is generally not
favoured as it is felt that they may frighten nervous patients and be repugnant to
the many patients attending with non-specific complaints.
The Council has during the year received from the services a further 180
notifications of demobilised men who were under treatment or surveillance for V.D.
Some 220 ex-Service men were interviewed by written invitation and 6 by visits to
their homes to ensure as far as possible that they would complete treatment.
Health education
Posters and leaflets, mainly those published by the Central Council for Health
Education and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, have been distributed
through the Council's welfare centres and other establishments. It was
found that there were some 80 different documents on the care and up-bringing of
children being distributed, some being purchased from organisations dealing with
maternity and child welfare, and others having been prepared and printed locally.
A departmental committee was set up to examine this literature, and towards the
end of the year they recommended that the Council should prepare and publish
its own book for distribution to expectant and nursing mothers.
Until 31st March, 1948, the Central Council for Health Education acted as
agents of the Council in the campaign for the prevention of venereal disease, including
the giving of talks and film shows on sex education. Since that date, and up to the
end of the year, arrangements were made for speakers who had formerly acted on
behalf of the Central Council, to give lectures on sex education to eight youth clubs
and five parents' associations. In ten cases, courses of three lectures were given, and
in the other three, single talks. In two instances the talks to youth clubs were illustrated
by lantern slides. There were 365 attendances at the lectures arranged for
parents, and 700 at the youth club courses. Posters giving the facilities available for
the treatment of venereal disease continued to be displayed in public conveniences.
In the last quarter of the year an intensive campaign on diphtheria immunisation
was carried out. In conjunction with the Central Office of Information, newspaper
advertisements, giving addresses and times of immunisation sessions, were inserted
in the local newspapers. With the co-operation of the cinemas, lantern slides were
shown giving similar information, and large quantities of posters and leaflets were
distributed. It is impossible to show statistically the success of this campaign
but, in the opinion of the divisional staffs, the campaign was so successful that it is
being repeated in 1949.
The main health education effort is, however, that of the health visitors to
individual mothers or to small groups of them. These talks take place both in the
welfare centres and in the homes. When space and staff permit, these individual
efforts in the centres are supplemented by talks and demonstrations to larger audiences.
Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to expand this side of the work.
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Mental Health Sub-Committee
The appointment of a Mental Health Sub-Committee was approved by the
Health Committee on 28th September, 1948. The Sub-Committee consists, apart
from the ex-officio members, of eight members of the Council, three drawn from the
Common Council of the City of London and the Metropolitan Borough Councils and
one co-opted member. The Sub-Committee meets every four weeks,