Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Haringey]
This page requires JavaScript
This paper gives a summary of our work and findings during the year December 1968 - December 1969.
222 cases were seen during the year. They come to us from the following sources.
(1) Reading about us in (i) local papers | |
(ii) Honey magazine and then contacting Central Office | 70 |
(2) Friends | 64 |
(3) Other doctors, G.P.'s etc. | 43 |
(4) Transferred from another clinic | 15 |
(5) Home for Unmarried Mothers | 15 |
(6) Local hospitals | 8 |
(7) Local Authority Social Workers, etc. | 7 |
222 |
Points from these figures deserve comment:
(1) The importance of private information: the article in Honey magazine which the Editor wrote
after visiting the Brook Advisory Clinic was particularly important. It discussed illegitimacy
and how to avoid it, giving common-sense advice. This led a lot of girls to ask for further
information from Central Office.
(2) The importance of a happy clinic atmosphere encouraging the girls to recommend it to their
friends.
(3) During the first 7 months only 4 girls came from the nearby Home for Unmarried Mothers, despite
the fact that it is 5 minutes walk from the clinic and that we had informed the Home of our
existence. It seemed worthwhile to give a talk to the girls on contraception and tell them
about the clinic. I started doing this in September and since then more girls have come.
Age Distribution of Girls Attending
is shown below
Employment of Girls
Office Workers (clerks, typists, etc.) | 104 |
Students | 30 |
Nurses | 22 |
Teachers | 20 |
Factory Workers | 16 |
Hairdressers and Shopgirls | 9 |
Schoolgirls | 8 |
Au pairs | 2 |
Model | 1 |
Musician | 1 |
Studio Manager | 1 |
Unemployed | 8 |
222 |