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
Leyton 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]
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Day Nurseries.
Number of Children in Attendance and Awaiting Admission. The following fist shows the numbers of children in each category (a) in attendance at, and (b) awaiting admission to, each of the two nurseries at the end of December, 1949.
| Category. | Knotts Green. | Ellingham Road. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) In attendance. | (b) Awaiting admission. | (a) In attendance. | (b) Awaiting admission. | |
| 1. a Employed unmarried mothers who wish to keep their children with them when not at work | 10 | — | 10 | — |
| 1. b Motherless children | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| 2. a Employed widows | 4 | — | 3 | 5 |
| 2. b Divorced from husbands | — | — | 1 | — |
| 2. c Separated from husbands | 14 | 2 | 19 | 7 |
| 2. d Deserted by husbands | 5 | 1 | — | — |
| 2. e Those who have children of whom the husband is not the father | 1 | — | — | — |
| 3. Mothers employed in industries vital to production for essential home needs and for export | 24 | 105 | 26 | 149 |
| 4. Mothers who are ill or being confined | — | — | — | — |
| 60 | 108 | 60 | 161 | |
National Nursery Examination Board.
During the year four students appeared for the examination
for the Certificate of the National Nursery Examination Board,
and all four were successful in obtaining the Board's Certificate.
Dental Treatment.
Children attending the two day nurseries were inspected once
during the year and received treatment where necessary—a totally
inadequate amount of dental supervision for children of these ages.
Although many mouths appeared macroscopically sound, decay
progresses so rapidly in many cases that treatment must be
instituted at once, especially in the case of first temporary molars
if they are to be saved. Dental inspection of children of these ages
should be carried out every three or four months.