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
Hendon 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hendon]
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work have to be dealt with at the Public Health Department and
the various health centres. Each new foster mother is visited by
Dr. Leitch who reports on the environmental conditions and on
the fitness of a foster mother to take care of young children and
she also visits all cases in which the infant life protection visitors
are encountering' any difficulties. A record of visits to these
foster children is kept and submitted for inspection each month,
in addition the foster mothers are encouraged to bring the children
to the centres so that supervision may also be maintained there.
TABLE XI.
| The number of persons receiving children for reward, on the Register at the end of the year, was 134. | |
| Number of children on the Register:— | |
| (i) at the end of the year | 186 |
| (ii) who died during the year | 3 |
| (iii) on whom inquests were held during the year | Nil |
No proceedings under the Act were taken by the Local
Authority during the year.
DENTAL TREATMENT.
All women attending the ante-natal centres who are found-to
have septic teeth are encouraged to avail themselves of dental
treatment, because of the fact that such treatment improves the
general health and in addition reduces the danger of puerperal
infections following the confinement.
Very little conservative work can actually be done for these
mothers as the condition of the teeth in most cases necessitates
extractions, this is carried out under a general anaesthetic and
dentures are provided after the treatment has been completed.
During the year 113 mothers were treated under this scheme.
Dental treatment is also available for children under school
age attending the maternity and child welfare centres and while
no routine dental inspection is carried out such as is done in the