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 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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| 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts referred by hospitals, medical services of the Armed Forces and by local health authorities | 418 | 370 | 384 | 297 | 246 |
| Insufficient information for following-up | 338 | 276 | 191 | 102 | |
| Contacts brought to treatment | 30 | 44 | 27 | 43 | 57 |
| Contacts traced but not brought to treatment | 10 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 7 |
| Contacts not traced | 40 | 43 | 67 | 60 | 80 |
In addition the female welfare officers attended clinics at St. Paul's Hospital and H.M. Prison, Holloway,
and since 1958 at St. Mary's Hospital and followed-up persons defaulting in attendance at these clinics.
Health education
The pattern of health education in London in recent years was reviewed in my report for
1958 (page 162). The work in the past year has followed similar lines—the direct approach
to individuals being supported and supplemented by divisionally arranged group lectures
and centrally organised exhibitions and campaigns.
Lectures and discussions—While special exhibitions and campaigns have an important
place in health education, it is the day to day contacts with individual members of the
public and the regular series of talks and discussions held mainly at welfare centres, which
form the basis of what is being done in this field. The following tables give an indication
of the volume of this work under the direction of the divisional medical officers, and the
variety of subject and audience. Most of the work falls naturally to the health visitor.
| Divisions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total | |
| Medical officers | _ | 47 | 8 | — | _ | _ | 1 | _ | 4 | 60 |
| Nursing officers | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 5 |
| Health visitors and school nursing sisters | 642 | 1,127 | 145 | 352 | 367 | 792 | 382 | 176 | 357 | 4,340 |
| Domiciliary midwives | 2 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 4 | — | 17 | — | — | 41 |
| Public health inspectors | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| School teachers | — | 12 | 17 | 138 | 36 | — | 12 | — | — | 215 |
| Parks department officer | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Senior child care officer | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Physiotherapists | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 |
| Lecturers from outside the | — | — | ||||||||
| Council's service—Nursing | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 6 |
| Other | 128 | 33 | 2 | 46 | 3 | — | 50 | 3 | 11 | 276 |
| Total | 776 | 1,236 | 179 | 540 | 410 | 792 | 469 | 179 | 372 | 4,953 |
Table (ii)—Audience groups
| Divisions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total | |
| Expectant mothers | 440 | 665 | 37 | 282 | 312 | 761 | 256 | 153 | 113 | 3,019 |
| Mothers, mothers clubs, etc. | 331 | 534 | 55 | 218 | 97 | 28 | 194 | 14 | 252 | 1,723 |
| Parent/teacher associations | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | 12 |
| Schools* | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
| Day continuation classes | — | 37 | 83 | 30 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 152 |
| Voluntary organisations | 5 | — | — | 10 | 1 | — | 14 | 6 | 7 | 43 |
| Total | 776 | 1,236 | 179 | 540 | 410 | 792 | 469 | 179 | 372 | 4,953 |
*Lectures by medical officers.
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