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
Harrow 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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the holding of an additional weekly session there, and in October
the number of sessions at the Elmwood Clinic was increased from
two to three. Difficulty had been experienced in obtaining
premises in the Pinner South Ward suitable for the purpose of
holding clinic sessions to meet the very great needs of that area,
but towards the end of the year the Baptist Church Hall at
Imperial Drive was available.
At the end of the year there were 16 weekly sessions held at
nine premises in the district. All these clinics are maintained by
the Local Authority. At most of them two Health Visitors are in
attendance, but at some there is only one Health Visitor assisted
by a District Nurse. At one time the weighing of the infants was
performed by voluntary workers, but the Council decided that only
trained nurses should do this work. Owing to the increasing
number of sessions, the existing staff was insufficient to permit of
the attendance of two Health Visitors at each clinic so that, in
June, authority was given for the engaging of District Nurses as
and when necessary for this purpose.
The Health Visitor in charge of any clinic is, as far as possible,
the one who visits the district which the clinic serves. A number of
voluntary workers kindly assist at each clinic.
The following table shows the work done at the Infant Welfare Centres during the year:—
| Total attendances at all Centres:— | |
| (1) By children under one year of age | 28,133 |
| (2) By children between the ages of one and five years | 15,067 |
| Total number of children who first attended at the Centres during the year and who, on the date of their first attendance, were:— | |
| (1) Under one year of age | 1,973 |
| (2) Between the ages of one and five years | 921 |
| Total number of children under five years of age who attended at the Centres during the year and who, at the end of the year, were:— | |
| (1) Under one year of age | 1,605 |
| (2) Over one year of age | 2,797 |
Percentage of notified live births represented by the number
of children under one year of age who attended for the first time,
84.3.
This last very high figure is partly to be accounted for by the
transferred population. Mothers new to the district will bring
their children to the clinics so that the numerator of the fraction,
namely the number of infants attending the first time, will be