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 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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maternity case, the disparity between the number of applications and the number of
cases helped being usually caused by the mother's being admitted to hospital for her
confinement or making other arrangements for help.
Normally the services of a home help are given to maternity cases for two weeks
of 44 hours each. The average number of hours service given to non-maternity cases
in 1952 was five, which continued over an average period of 45½ weeks.
IMMUNISATION AND VACCINATION
the council's arrangements for securing infant vaccination against smallpox and
primary immunisation against diphtheria fall into two main parts: (a) work performed
by full-time or part-time medical staff employed by the Council in child welfare centres,
etc., and (b) work performed independently by general medical practitioners, who are
paid a fee of 5s. on receipt of each record of a completed course of immunisation or of
a successful vaccination or two unsuccessful attempts. Prophylactic material approved
for national free issue is provided by the Council to general medical practitioners on
request.
The following table indicates the amount of work done in the last four years:
| Prophylaxis | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpox vaccinations— | ||||
| Cases completed by L.C.C. | 18,585 | 22,349 | 28,297 | 22,866 |
| Cases completed by general practitioners | 5,942 | 9,707 | 19,597 | 14,542 |
| Diphtheria immunisation— | ||||
| Cases completed by L.C.C. | 36,033 | 34,345 | 33,270 | 33,954 |
| Cases completed by general practitioners | 4,767 | 3,600 | 5,020 | 5,532 |
| Whooping cough inoculation— | ||||
| Cases completed by L.C.C. | 7,987 | 7,354 | 8,874 | 17,632 |
| Cases completed by general practitioners | 823 | 324 | 432 | 1,129 |
| Whooping cough and diphtheria combined— | ||||
| Cases completed by L.C.C. | 15,797 | 7,101 | 559 | 1,815 |
| Cases completed by general practitioners | 1,332 | 2,559 | 1,490 | 1,657 |
| Grand total of diphtheria immunisations | 57,929 | 47,605 | 40,339 | 42,958 |
| Estimated percentage at end of year of population | ||||
| 0—4 who had at any time been immunised | ||||
| against diphtheria | 54.7 | 55.4 | 53.0 | 50.2 |
The health visitor, midwife and clinic doctor constitute the joint spearhead of the
attack on smallpox and diphtheria. Health visitors are advised of the birth of every child
in their area, so that they may visit the homes. They are able to do much to encourage
the parents of newly-born infants to have their children vaccinated and immunised when
the time is ripe and, in respect of children born at home, the ground will already have
been prepared by the midwife. This continuous propaganda campaign is supplemented
in varying ways in each health division. Ministry of Health and Central Council for
Health Education publications are used in all divisions, and in some special administrative
action is taken to follow up or introduce the health visitor's approach to parents.
One division has a highly developed administrative system of records based on birth
notifications and all parents are circularised when the children reach the ages of four
months, eight months and 12 months, with a personal follow-up by the health visitor
after this age where parents have resisted all previous efforts. These records provide a
complete picture of the immunisation and vaccination state of all children born in or
entering the area since the commencement of the scheme. Another division has recently
arranged for immunisation against diphtheria to be available at all child welfare sessions
instead of only at special sessions, and the results of this experiment will be watched