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 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Paddington Hospital Aural
Princess Louise Hospital Aural and rheumatism
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hackney Eyes, aural and rheumatism
„ „ „ Shadwell Rheumatism, eyes and enuresis
Royal Eye Hospital Eyes
Royal Free Hospital Rheumatism
Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear
Hospital Aural
St. George's Hospital Rheumatism
St. George's in the East Hospital Aural
St. Mary's Hospital Aural
St. Mary Abbott's Hospital Aural
St. Thomas's Hospital Rheumatism
University College Hospital Enuresis
Western Ophthalmic Hospital Eyes
Westminster (All-Saints Genito Urinary) Enuresis
Whittington Aural
Co-operation
with
hospitals
Arrangements were continued with some of the former voluntary hospitals
whereby one or more of the Council's treatment organisers attended the children's
out-patient departments, at the request of the hospital authorities, to form a link
between the hospital doctors and almoners and the school health service. The
hospitals concerned were the London, Guy's, Evelina, Paddington, West London,
Royal London Ophthalmic, Belgrave, Poplar and London Jewish hospitals, the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children, Shadwell and Hackney and the Children's
Hospital, Sydenham. There were in addition several hospitals where the treatment
organiser undertook the making of appointments for the dental and the tonsil and
adenoid departments although she was not present at the sessions. She also did the
following-up of school children in co-operation with the almoner. The Council
referred children for child guidance to twenty-two hospitals and clinics within the
national health service ; but Council organisers did not attend these clinics.
As an example, the following table indicates the scope of the work of the
organisers, who acted as the link between Guy's Hospital children's out-patient
department, the special clinics, the school health service doctors and the children's
care organisation:—
| Eyes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Dept. | Ear, nose and throat | General | Orthoptic | Orthopaedic | Skin | |
| New school children seen | 332 | 566 | 215 | 86 | 152 | 224 |
| Attendances of current cases | 1,096 | 984 | — | 704 | 274 | 567 |
| Discharged—treatment completed | 130 | 254 | 59 | 43 | 86 | 66 |
| Referred to other departments | 101 | 24 | — | — | 21 | 3 |
| Lapsed through non-attendance | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Referred for operation | — | 256 | — | — | 23 | — |
| Glasses ordered | — | — | 337 | — | — | — |
| Glasses obtained | — | — | 3481 | — | — | — |
| No glasses needed | — | — | 141 | — | — | — |
| Re-tested—no change of glasses | — | — | 224 | — | — | — |
| Referred to Child Guidance Clinic | 42 | — | — | — | — | — |
* Includes spectacles ordered in 1950 the delivery of which was delayed until 1951.
The total number of attendances of L.C.C. children in departments of this
hospital covered by the organisers was 6,591. Similar arrangements operated at the
Evelina Hospital for Children, in the same hospital group, where the total number
of attendances in departments covered by the organisers was 2,172, and at the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where the total number of attendances was 5,913.
The following statistics of school treatment centres and the clinics held in
hospitals in association with the Council's treatment scheme show that there was a
continued increase in the volume of work in 1951, except at minor ailment centres,
dental centres and rheumatism supervisory centres. A more detailed account of