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
Ealing 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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circumstances of the mothers necessitate their finding fostermothers
for their babies at a minimum of cost. Every effort is
made, however, to maintain a certain standard among the persons
registered as foster-mothers and, with very few exceptions, attendance
at the Health Centre, where the child will be under medical
supervision, is insisted upon.
Information regarding foster-children registered in the Borough is given in the following table :
| Number of children on the register at the beginning of the year | 106 | |
| (Number of foster-mothers having care of the above children, 82). | ||
| Number of children registered during the year | 95 | |
| Number of children removed from register during year: | ||
| Removed to care of parent or relative | 41 | |
| Removed to another foster-mother | 16 | |
| Removed for adoption through a Society | 4 | |
| Removed to a Children's Home or School | 6 | |
| Legally adopted by foster-mother | 4 | |
| Died (Inquests held, None) | 4 | |
| Foster-mother left district, taking child with her | 6 | |
| Residing in area transferred to Wembley | 6 | |
| Attained nine years of age | 7 | |
| Placed in care of Public Assistance Authority, | ||
| parent having disappeared | 1 | |
| Removed from care of foster-mother at request | ||
| of Medical Officer of Health | 3 | 98 |
| Number of children on register at end of year (Number of foster-mothers having care of the above children, 79). | 103 | |
The three children noted as removed at the request of the
Medical Officer of Health included two children received by persons
who were found to have insufficient housing accommodation and
one child who was brought into the district in the care of a woman
who was suffering from tuberculosis. In the first two cases the
child was returned to the parents as requested, but in the third
case the foster-mother had become so attached to the child that
she took steps to legally adopt the child as her own.