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patients were sent to voluntary convalescent homes and female adult convalescent
patients, who were not suitable for Princess Mary's Hospital, were also sent to
voluntary convalescent homes.
Convalescent
children
The arrangements made with the Invalid Childrens Aid Association, under
which children, for whose medical care the Council was responsible, were referred to
the Association for placing in convalescent homes, were continued throughout the
period. The number of such cases dealt with was 869. In addition to the foregoing
arrangement, the long standing practice was continued of accepting financial
responsibility for the convalescent treatment of children brought to the Council's
notice by the Invalid Children's Aid Association themselves. The number of such
cases during the period 1st January to 4th July. 1948. was 609.
Other
hospitals
The Northern Hospital, Winchmore Hill, and Southern and Joyce Green
Hospitals, Dartford, continued to receive patients suffering from general and noninfectious
conditions from the other hospitals.
Venereal
diseases
Beds for patients suffering from venereal disease were provided at Bethnal Green,
Sheffield Street and St. Charles' Hospitals.
Admissions to
Public Health
hospitals

Evacuated
hospital
patients
Owing to the extreme shortage of nursing and domestic staff, it was not possible
to bring back to London more than a few evacuated hospital patients. The number
remaining in the provinces on 4th July, 1948, was 369.
Emergency obstetric service
During the period 1st January to 4th July, 1948, 56 calls were made compared
with 52 for the same period of 1947. An analysis of the calls shows that they were
received from 19 boroughs and were answered by units from 11 of the Council's
hospitals. Twenty-seven of them came from four boroughs, viz.:—Wandsworth (11),
Lewisham (5), Battersea (5), Lambeth (6), and the hospital units answering most
of the total calls were St. James' (16), St. Alfege's (9) and Lewisham (6).
The calls were made by general practitioners (16), midwives (18), nursing homes
(6) and other persons (16). The majority of the calls were to patients where postpartum
haemorrhage or retained placenta had occurred. In 39 cases blood transfusion
was given. One death occurred of a patient attended by the emergency obstetric
service.
District medical service
Statistics are available for the first quarter of the year only. The total number
of persons seen and treated, 16,308, showed an increase of 1,021 on the same period
of 1947. Attendances at medical relief stations and surgeries increased from 26,175