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Hospital Treatment of Children under 5 Years of Age.
Treatment for children suffering from Marasmus and the operative treatment of enlarged tonsils and adenoids
continued to be available at the Willesden Municipal Hospital.
30 children were under treatment for Marasmus and 105 for enlarged tonsils and adenoids and mastoid
disease. 4 of the children suffering from Marasmus died. Children were admitted to hospital to a limited extent
for orthopaedic conditions.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.—The number of cases of this disease notified in 1944 was 8, this being the same
figure as for 1943 and 1942. This gives a case rate of 2.97 per 1,000 registered live births.
A district midwife attended the confinement in 2 cases, and 6 cases were born in hospital. Treatment was
obtained at a hospital in 6 cases, and at the Municipal Health Centre in 2 cases. Complete recovery with unimpaired
vision occurred in 7 cases. In 1 case the patient removed from the district and no further information was obtainable.
Cases of inflammation of or discharge from the eyes of infants or of cases of ophthalmia neonatorum entering
Willesden after notification elsewhere are also visited by the Health Nurses.
Teaching of Mothercraft at the Centres.
This important part of the work of each Health Centre had to be suspended on the outbreak of war.
THE CARE OF PREMATURE INFANTS.
The Ministry of Health issued Circular 20/44 on March 22nd, 1944, dealing with the Care of Premature Infants.
Arrangements have been made for obtaining knowledge of all children whose weight at birth is 5½ lbs. or less.
The services of a paediatrician are available if necessary. Midwives and Health Visitors give particular attention to
these babies, and the services of home helps are provided if necessary and available. The proposals as to the provision
of special staff and accommodation in the case of institutional treatment will be borne in mind by the Council when
development of the Maternity Hospital is practicable. A paediatrician is attached to the Maternity Hospital. All
discharges of such infants from the Willesden Maternity Hospital and Central Middlesex County Council are notified
forthwith to the Health Department and followed up.
In 1944, out of a total of 114 deaths of children under 1 year of age, 31 were due to premature birth. In 1943,
out of a total of 155,25 were due to premature birth, and in 1942, out of a total of 130, 33 were due to premature birth.
Taking only the deaths under 4 weeks of age in 1944, 30 out of a total of 70 were due to premature birth ; in 1943,
24 out of 61, r nd in 1942, 31 out of 61.
CHILD LIFE PROTECTION.
A number of foster children are still evacuated under the Government Scheme or privately with their Foster
Mothers. At the end of 1944 there were 21 Foster Mothers and 37 Foster Children still in Willesden.
There has been a great scarcity of Foster Mothers throughout the year. Women even when not otherwise
occupied are unwilling to undertake the care of children in these difficult times and further they desire to be free
whenever their husbands come home on leave.
ADOPTION OF CHILDREN (REGULATION) ACT, 1939.
This Act came into force on June 1st, 1943. It makes it unlawful for any body of persons to make any
arrangements for the adoption of a child unless that body is a registered adoption society or a local authority.
Adoption Societies have to be registered by the Councils of Counties or County Boroughs, and on September 8th,
1943, the Secretary of State issued the Adoption Societies Regulations, 1943, made under Section 4 of the Act. In
carrying out the obligations placed upon them Adoption Societies make considerable demands on the services of
Local Authorities' Officers.
Section 7 of the Act is the section with which Willesden as the Welfare Authority is concerned. This section
makes it the duty of any person, other than the child's parent or guardian or the person with whom the child is placed,
who participates in the arrangements for the placing of the child, to notify in writing the Welfare Authority of the
area in which the child is to be placed. It is illegal for the adopter or any other person concerned to give or receive
any remuneration or reward. It is the duty of child protection visitors to visit and examine such children and the
premises in which they are kept and further to seek out any children in respect of whom a notice should have been
given. A child may be removed from the person with whom it is placed on the same grounds as a foster child. The
provisions of Section 7 do not apply if the other person participating is a registered Adoption Society or a Local
Authority or when the child is legally adopted or reaches 9 years of age. There are certain other exceptions.
If a child is placed in the care and possession of another person by its parents without any other person in any
way participating in the making of the arrangements it does not come within the provisions of Section 7 of the Act
and the Health Visitor can then only exercise such supervision as is possible without compulsory power in the course
of her maternity and child welfare work.
8 persons gave notice under Section 7 (3) in 1944 in respect of 9 children and, in addition, 1 child was found
by a Health Visitor. There were no children under supervision at the end of the year, all having been legally adopted
or moved out of Willesden.