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The Health of Barking
Orthopaedic Clinic.
Now it must be clearly understood that so far as we are concerned officially at
this time, we have no authority whatsoever to deal with birth control which leads
to so much misunderstanding. The only thing which we, as doctors in the Public
Health Service can do to-day is to give birth control to those who require it on
medical grounds, and even then the advice cannot be given other than at a special
clinic, which is specially set apart for this special purpose. This means that the
medical grounds must be determined at one place at one time, and the persons
then referred to a special clinic, which is held at another time. Such a clinic is held
in Barking. It is held every week but it cannot and does not cater for the much
wider issue of birth control from the standpoint of sociology.
Orthopaedic Service.
Mary, like all other practical people, did object to us calling one service
the "Orthopaedic" Service, but I explained to Mary, as I have explained to so
many other people, that there is no ordinary name for this service and that I shall be
happy when the public find another name for it.
This is a service which has to do with bringing children up straight physically,
and, of course, deals with their bones, joints and other parts of the body which
may have deformity. In a way, I was sorry Mary asked so many pertinent questions
about this particular service, because the history of the year under review does not
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