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have continued and have been much appreciated. By the end of the year, and since
the inception of the scheme, 65 talks had been given to 14,390 children. During the
year further talks to school children were introduced on food hygiene, with special
reference to cleanliness in the kitchen, totalling 13 talks to 1,040 children.
Careful consideration has been given to the whole subject of health education and
my senior colleagues and I have taken every opportunity of speaking to parent-teacher
associations and similar organizations. The department took part in an Old People's
Exhibition which brought to the notice of the public the work done in the division for
this section of the community.
Business premises in prominent positions were loaned for a public exhibition
illustrating various branches of the personal health services, and this aspect of health
education is being actively pursued.
Child neglect
Particular attention has been paid to this problem during the year and meetings and
discussions have been held with colleagues of other Council departments in the division.
Arrangements were made for the maintenance of a register of neglected children and
for the exchange of information between departments. It is essential that this very
important work should be on a firm basis.
Welfare of
old people
A close liaison has been maintained between the divisional staff and the other
statutory and voluntary bodies concerned with this important work, and members of
the divisional staff sit on various Committees dealing with this question. Particular
attention has been paid to the arrangements made for the removal of old people to
hospitals or homes and considerable success has been achieved in this direction without
resort to statutory powers. Home helps have been provided where necessary and the
health visitors made a large number of visits to old people.
Review of
sessions
A comprehensive review of maternity and child welfare sessions and sessions held
at school treatment centres was undertaken. Within the division the work has been
re-organized on an area basis with, so far as practicable, one assistant medical officer
undertaking all the clinical duties in that area. Child welfare sessions have been made
' combined sessions ' where immunisation and vaccination are carried out in addition
to child welfare work.
Co-operation
with general
practitioners
and teachers
The closest co-operation has been maintained with teachers organizations and
meetings have been held with representatives of both the Battersea and the Wandsworth
head teachers' associations.
There has also been close contact with general practitioners, both through the
local division of the British Medical Association, on which senior medical officers are
represented, and with individual doctors.
Cerebral palsy
investigation
An investigation is proceeding into the problem of cerebral palsy, in association
with workers appointed by the Medical Research Council.
Organization
A brief reference might be permitted to the tri-partite arrangement in this division
whereby the divisional medical officer is also medical officer of health for the two
metropolitan boroughs constituting the division. There is, of course, everything to be
said for the personal and the environmental health services being as closely co-ordinated
as possible, and one way of achieving this end should be by means of the arrangement
which operates in this area. No effort has been spared, therefore, to weld closely
together the environmental health services, for which the borough councils are
responsible, and the personal health services, which are the concern of the county Council.
The new arrangement is of particular benefit and value in connection with those
services which may be partly the responsibility of the borough councils and partly the
responsibility of the county Council. For example, it is now possible to employ both
borough and county Council staff, as may be desired, in the investigation and control
of infectious disease, and the same principle applies in such matters as housing and the
care of old people and their removal to hospitals or institutions.
After only a year's experience of the new procedure it would be unwise to arrive
at any final conclusion as to the practicability of the new scheme, but while maintaining