London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
Lectures and discussions—The basis of work in the field centres on day-to-day contact
with members of the public and a regular series of talks and discussions held mainly at
welfare centres. Most of the work falls naturally to the health visitor. The volume and
varied nature of the talks, arranged under the direction of divisional medical officers, is
shown in the following tables:
| Divisions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total | |
| Medical officers | – | 66 | 7 | – | – | _ | 2 | – | – | 75 |
| Nursing officers | – | 1 | — | – | – | — | 1 | – | – | 2 |
| Health visitors and school nursing sisters | 533 | 1,663 | 216 | 319 | 514 | 879 | 580 | 175 | 503 | 5,382 |
| Domiciliary midwives | 16 | 13 | 1 | — | 4 | — | 13 | — | — | 47 |
| Public health inspectors | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Teachers/instructors | 19 | 12 | 47 | 123 | 115 | — | 9 | — | — | 325 |
| Fire prevention officer (L.F.B.) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Physiotherapists | — | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Lecturers from outside the Council's service—Nursing | – | – | – | 5 | – | – | 3 | – | – | 8 |
| Other | 75 | 17 | 9 | 4 | — | — | 61 | 2 | 1 | 169 |
| Total | 643 | 1,774 | 280 | 451 | 633 | 879 | 670 | 177 | 505 | 6,012 |
Table (ii)—
| Divisions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total | |
| Expectant mothers | 506 | 1,072 | 137 | 296 | 408 | 825 | 358 | 155 | 234 | 3,991 |
| Mothers, mothers' clubs, etc. | 137 | 697 | 133 | 155 | 223 | 54 | 275 | 11 | 268 | 1,953 |
| Parent/teacher associations | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 1 | — | 5 |
| Schools* | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 |
| Day continuation classes | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
| Voluntary organisations | — | 5 | 1 | — | 2 | — | 33 | 10 | 3 | 54 |
| Total | 643 | 1,774 | 280 | 451 | 633 | 879 | 670 | 177 | 505 | 6,012 |