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
Dagenham 1932
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Dagenham]
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Work of the Health Visitors.
Routine visits are paid to infants as soon as possible after
the tenth day and special visits are paid to cases of ophthalmia
neonatorum, puerperal fever, stillbirths, infant deaths, etc., and
subsequent to operative treatment of tonsils and adenoids. Each
Health Visitor was appointed Infant Protection Visitor for her own
area. The Health Visitors also attend the various clinics. In the
case of Infant Welfare Centres and Ante-Natal Clinics, the Health
Visitor is, as far as possible, in charge of the session at which the
mothers from her district attend.
The following table shows the number of visits paid by Health Visitors during the year:—
| (a) To expectant mothers | First visits | 641 |
| Total visits | 1,565 | |
| (b) To children under 1 year of age | First visits | 2,227 |
| Total visits | 6,519 | |
| (c) To children between the ages of 1 and 5 years | Total visits | 6,988 |
Infant Welfare Centres.
There were 9 weekly Infant Welfare Centres held during the
year. All the Centres are maintained by the Local Authority,
there being at each, in addition to the Medical Officer and the
two Health Visitors, a clerk for dealing with the distribution of
foodstuffs. At some of the Centres a number of voluntary workers
have kindly assisted.
The following table shows the work done at the Infant Welfare Centres during the year:—
Total attendances at all Centres during the year:—
| (1) By children under 1 year of age | 16,455 |
| (2) By children between the ages of 1 and 5 | 10,583 |
| Average attendances of children per session at all Centres during the year | 60 |
| Total number of children who attended at the Centres for the first time during the year:— | |
| (1) Children under 1 year of age | 1,395 |
| (2) Children between the ages of 1 and 5 years | 662 |
| Percentage of total notified births represented by the number of children under 1 year who attended for the first time | 86 |