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

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Dagenham 1962

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Dagenham]

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CONVALESCENCE AND
RECUPERATIVE HOLIDAYS

Arrangements for convalescence were made as summarised below, on the recommendation of general practitioners and medical officers.

AdultsChildren
National Health Service Act:
Section 22 (mothers and young children)23
Section 28 (prevention of illness, care and after-care)46
School Health Service68

Dagenham Children's Care Committee
Seaford Holiday Centre
Two parties of school children went to St. Mary's Bay Holiday Centre, Romney
Marsh, Kent, for a holiday during the summer. A total of 61 children attended the
centre this year. The arrangements were made by the Dagenham Children's Care
Committee and all children were examined at the clinics before they left for their holiday.
Camp Schools
A total of II children were examined by school medical officers before being admitted
or re-admitted to camp schools.
OXLOW LANE CLINIC
FOR THE OVER SIXTIES
Two half-day sessions per week are devoted to this clinic. On Thursday afternoons
the "exercise class" is held, at which the physiotherapist attends to give instruction in
simple physiotherapeutic exercises (which the patients themselves can then perform daily
at home), and after this a member of the staff gives a talk on some relevant aspect of
health education and, if time permits, the session concludes with a discussion.
The Friday morning sessions are devoted to the clinical examination of patients.
When a patient first attends, a full medical and social history is taken by the nurse,
following which various tests are carried out, viz., audiometry, estimation of visual acuity
and visual fields, estimation of vital capacity of the lungs, and urine testing. The patient
is then interviewed by the doctor who discusses any matters arising out of the patient's
history and explains the purpose of the clinic. A sample of the patient's blood is taken
and this is submitted to a local hospital laboratory for testing (haemoglobin estimation,
blood count, Wassermann reaction and serum cholesterol estimation). The doctor's
47