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
Woolwich 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]
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102
every two months would have to be altered, and indeed it was necessary to hold two
clinics in December. At the time of writing the Schick Testing Clinics are being
held weekly and in consequence the procedure has been modified, as it become
necessary to have all appointments made by the Department instead of by the
doctors in order to regulate the numbers at the Clinics. By an arrangement with
the London County Council, a list of all attendances of school children is sent monthly
to that body so that they do not lose their attendance marks while attending the
clinic.
At the end of the year 131 children (34 of whom were under 5 years of age), had
been given immunising injections by their doctor and were awaiting the Schick Test.
Two children immunised previously were Schick Tested.
In tabular form is shown below details of the work done under the scheme, but
each afternoon is regarded as one clinic only
TABLE No. 42.
| Woolwich and Eltham. | |
|---|---|
| No. of Schick Testing Clinics held | |
| Preliminary Schick Tests— | |
| No. of children tested— | |
| Positive | |
| Negative | 24 |
| Final Schick Tests— | |
| No. of children tested— | |
| Positive | — |
| Negative | 2 |
| No. of children immunised during the period by general | |
| medical practitioners | 131 |
| Fees paid to medical practitioners— | |
| Positive cases at 10s. 0d. (103) | £51 10s. 0d. |
| Negative cases at 2s. 6d. (21) | £2 12s. 6d. |
| The propaganda leaflet issued by the Council is as follows:— | |
Protection against Diphtheria.
"One of the most serious diseases which attack children is diphtheria, both
in the severity of the illness and in the after effects which it leaves with the
sufferer. Not every child, of course, is attacked by diphtheria, but the risk is
always present, especially amongst young children and school children. The
fact that anyone can be protected against the disease has been abundantly
proved. Owing to the nature of their work, fever hospital nurses are greatly
exposed to the infection of diphtheria, but when protected by immunisation,