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the medical condition of the applicant, i.e., the degree of necessity for prevention of
contraception. The clinic is held on Mondays at 2 p.m., and, jointly with the general
medical clinic, on Tuesdays at 6.30 p.m.
Reference of individual patients to hospital.—In general it may be said that the
results of the working of these clinics indicate that many women suffer from minor
disorders which can be dealt with efficiently at an outdoor clinic, but which if left
untreated would certainly cause considerable trouble or discomfort and which might
lead to more grave conditions, requiring in-patient treatment in hospital.
Financial aspect.—During 1937 no alterations were made in the fees which the
patients are required to pay. Women who receive treatment at either clinic pay the
sum of Is. per attendance, and those who receive birth control appliances are required
to refund to the Council the cost thereof, but the Medical Officer of Health is empowered
to use his discretion in the matter of the collection of the charges for birth
control appliances, in cases where the women concerned are unable to afford the cost.
The fee is usually collected before the apparatus is supplied. Any female adult who
resides or works in the Borough may attend the clinic.
RESULTS
(a) Medical Clinic.
During the year 72 sessions were held, 256 new cases attended the clinic, and
the total attendances were 859. Most of these patients were referred by clinic
doctors or by health visitors ; ten cases were referred from the ante-natal clinic and
24 cases from the gynaecological clinic.
The age distribution of the patients is shown in the following table :—

The youngest patient was aged 15 years and the oldest 67 years. The mean age
of these 256 patients was 32.8 years. It will be seen that a considerable proportion
of the women were at an age when the strain of child-bearing was beginning to assert
itself.