London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Marylebone 1931

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]

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54
of them were resident here. The cost of cleansing these children was borne by
the London County Council, who paid the Borough Council the sum of £283 8s.
for this service.

BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS.

The following table shows the number of specimens examined for purposes of diagnosis, and indicates also the diseases in relation to which the examinations were made.

1931.
Positive.Negative.Total.
Typhoid fever44650
Diphtheria1522,8152,967
Phthisis154647801
Totals3103,5083,818

MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme in St. Marylebone is made up of
voluntary and official elements. Of the voluntary elements, to the nature of which
reference is made later, those for which the St. Marylebone Health Soceity is
responsible bulk largest. The Council, who made a grant of £1,000 in 1931 to
the Society, and the inhabitants of the Borough are greatly indebted to this body
and those who work for it for what they have done and what they are doing in
relation to maternity and child welfare.
Apart from the Health Society, however, there are other bodies that assist
and that are more or less definitely linked up to the main scheme, the connecting
link being the Public Health Department of the Council. Amongst these bodies
may be mentioned Queen Charlotte's Hospital and Middlesex Hospital, which in
addition to providing lying-in accommodation, arrange for attention to be given
to out-door patients as well, and conduct ante-natal clinics and infant consultations.
At the Western General Dispensary the special clinic for children under
Dr. Bernard Myers does most useful work. Less definitely part of the scheme,
but stiil doing very valuable work and helping whenever possible, are The Home
of the St. Marylebone Female Protection Society, which for financial and other
reasons unfortunately had to abandon its very useful work towards the end of the
year; St. Agatha's Home, and the Home of the Little Company of Mary, where
unmarried mothers particularly are provided for, both before and after the birth of
their child.
The following summaries, the second of which (Form M.C.W. 96 revised) is
prepared at the request of the Ministry, give a number of details with regard to
the arrangements under the scheme and afford some indication of the work done
during 1931. It will be noted that at the end of the year there were available eight
centres where attention was given to infant and child welfare, and if those at the
hospitals are included four ante-natal clinics. At some of the centres, as is shown
in the accompanying time-table, consultations are held every day, sometimes twice
a day. In addition to the ordinary infant and young child ("toddlers") consultations,
there is a dental clinic for mothers and young children, open on four days,
for two of which the Health Society is responsible. By arrangement with the
London County Council the dental clinic is used also by school children, and in
conjunction with this there is also a minor ailment treatment centre for school
children. Here in addition there is a Light Clinic and a massage clinic which were
established in 1927, and are open on two days per week.