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set up by the same Division, the Northern Group Medical
Advisory Committee, various Old People's Welfare Committees,
local Social Service Councils, and the Executive Committee,
of the Southgate Physiotherapy Association. The fact
that I am Medical Officer of Health for three of the
constituent districts making up Area No. 2., and that the
Deputy Area Medical Officer is my Deputy in two of these,
districts, is also of the greatest value.
The Committee will remember that an attempt was made
during 1953 to interest general practitioners and head
teachers in the work of our clinics, by inviting them to
"Open Days" at each clinic. The venture was successful,
and it is hoped that it will be repeated during 1954.
Opportunity is taken from time to time to communicate
with general practitioners and also with schools, so that
matters which seem to call for attention can be brought to
their notice. This has become a regular feature of our
work and is, I believe,appreciated by the recipients.
16. INVESTIGATION AND RESEARCH.
Although it is not always easy for a fully-occupied
.staff to carry out research, it is highly desirable that
this should be done. We have therefore tried to follow
such lines of investigation as lie within our power, and
will continue to do so.
All children attending for birthday examination at
the welfare centres are given a tuberculin jelly test.
These tests are also applied on children before admission
to the Day Nursery. After consultation with the Chest
Physician at the Finchley Chest Clinic, we have agreed
to extend the scheme still further, to include school
entrants and school leavers attending certain of our
schools. This work gives us valuable information relating
to tuberculosis, and allows us to refer cases to
the Chest Clinic for further investigation.
We were privileged to take part in an investigation
relating to the pre-menstrual syndrome, carried out by a
general practitioner in conjunction with a hospital medical
officer. This investigation has recently been published
and won the Charles Oliver Hawthorne Award of the British
Medical Association. We now hope to co-operate with the
same general practitioner in a further study relating to
the treatment of toxaemia of pregnancy. This is an
extension of the previous work and will, it is hoped,
produce significant results which should materially advance
our knowledge of the cause and treatment of this distressing
and serious phenomenon.
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