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 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]
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Infectious diseases:—
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum—First visits | 18 |
| „ „ Revisits | 15 |
| Measles—First visits | 469 |
| „ Revisits | 118 |
| Puerperal fever—First visits | 11 |
| „ „ Revisits | 1 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia—First visits | 25 |
| „ „ Revisits | 7 |
| Zymotic Enteritis—First visits | 4 |
| „ „ Revisits | 1 |
| Pneumonia | 75 |
| Anterior Poliomyelitis | 1 |
| Encephalitis Lethargica | 1 |
| Infant Life Protection | 1,086 |
| Visits unclassified | 509 |
| Visits unsuccessful | 3,292 |
| 25,290 |
The Council paid the class fees and expenses in connection with the visits to
approved institutions of two health visitors who attended refresher courses for
health visitors.
Infant Life Protection.—The Council became responsible on the 1st April,
1933, for Infant Life Protection work in Woolwich, and have appointed four of
their health visitors as Infant Life Protection Visitors (part-time). When evasion
of the law is suspected the necessary investigations are made by one of the male
sanitary inspectors. The houses of all new foster-mothers are inspected by the
district sanitary inspectors, who furnish in each case, a sanitary report.
At the end of 1934 there were 93 foster children and 68 foster mothers on the
Council's register, and a year later the numbers were 92 and 69, respectively.
It is the custom to report on all homes where women indicate their desire to
become foster mothers and in addition to the number of foster mothers shown above,
another 77 were either temporarily without nurse children or had been noted as
suitable persons.