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centre, the rheumatism session to Southwark health centre and the vision session
to Villa Street centre.
A second dental surgery was installed at St. George's dispensary and both the dispensary
and Lambeth treatment centre were fully re-decorated.
As a result of the diminution in the number of children attending physically handicapped
schools the Lilian Baylis School was closed for physically handicapped children
and opened as a school for maladjusted children.
It has been felt that many mothers with backward or mentally deficient children
may not wish to attend an ordinary infant welfare clinic and that they may be in need
of special advice on the care of their children and the facilities that are available to help
them. It was therefore decided, as an experiment, to hold a special session for such children
once a month at the Sutherland House welfare centre. Children from anywhere in the
division can be seen there, and in view of the special attention required cases are seen
at each session by appointment only. A medical officer with special experience in the
care of these children is in charge and the clinic has already proved successful.
1 Clinic for
i mentally
backward
5 children
Division 9, comprising the boroughs of Battersea and Wandsworth.
Dr. J. T. R. Lewis reports:
I have much pleasure in reporting on the work of division 9, for 1954, the third year
during which my colleagues and I have been working in this area.
The year was a busy one and many matters of importance were dealt with. Of these
perhaps the most important were concerned with planning the needs of the large housing
estates which are rapidly being built in the area. In addition to these specific needs,
however, steps have also been taken to improve the existing health service facilities.
The maternity and child welfare centre at St. Peter's Church Hall, Prescott Place,
Clapham, to which brief reference was made in the 1953 Report, came into operation on
the 13th March and has proved a great success. A new maternity and child welfare
centre was opened in August at the church hall of the Church of the Holy Redeemer,
Churchmore Road, to cover the needs of the Streatham Vale area and a similar centre
was also opened in April at St. Margaret's Church Hall, Cricklade Avenue, in place of
the former centre in New Park Road. As a temporary measure and to do something to
cover the needs of some of the new estates in Wandsworth, a maternity and child welfare
centre was opened in October at ' Woodlands' in West Hill. While these new centres
do not, of course, accord with modern ideas and needs, they have proved popular and
are providing a very valuable service.
Premises
In the report for 1953, reference was made to the acquisition of premises to take the
place of the Tooting school treatment centre. At the end of the year the work of adapting
premises at 193 Mitcham Road was virtually completed.
It is hoped that in the near future, work will be started on a number of projects,
namely the new combined maternity and child welfare and school treatment centre
on the Argyle/Ackroydon estates, a similar new centre on the Ashburton estate, the
possible start with yet another similar centre on the Roehampton Lane estate, the commencement
of work on a new maternity and child welfare centre in Stomont Road.
Battersea, and the improvements at 'Southlands,' Shuttleworth Road, Battersea.When
these projects are completed in the next two or three years, there will be a very considerable
strengthening of the public health facilities available.
Compared with the year 1953, the number of immunisations against diphtheria
showed an increase of 46 per cent. This was quite a satisfactory increase over the previous
year, probably explained by the fact that there was less need in 1954 to restrict
immunisation because of the prevalence of poliomyelitis. The figures for whooping
cough immunisation also revealed an increase of 1.7 per cent, and there was a slight
increase in the number of persons vaccinated.
, Immunisation
. and
vaccination
141