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41
Wesleyan Church Hall, Manor Park, on
Tuesday, at 9 a.m.
St. George's Church Hall, Masterman Road, on
Wednesday, at 2 p.m.
In last year's report it was pointed out that a Clinic was
urgently needed in the south-west of the Borough, on account of
its distance from any existing centre; and this need has been met
by the opening of a branch centre at St. George's Church Hall,
Masterman Road, on Wednesdays, at 2 p.m. This is proving a
great boon to many of the mothers of that part of the Borough,
who are now able for the first time to avail themselves of the
advantages offered by such a Clinic.
Attendances at Infant Welfare Clinics, 1926.
Number of Clinics held during the year 293
Number of individual children who attended the Clinics 2,743
Total number of attendances 16,231
Number of medical consultations at these Clinics 4,572
At the Clinics individual advice on matters of feeding, clothing
and hygiene is given to all mothers, after careful examination
of their children and consideration of the special circumstances of
each child.
Steady pressure is being maintained to convince the mothers
of the Borough that the Clinics are initially open to them in order
to help them to maintain their children in good health, and rear
them normally and successfully. The idea of the Clinics as dispensaries
for sick children has had to be continuously countered ;
and sick children are recommended to their own doctors, or to
suitable hospitals, for necessary treatment.
A large proportion of infants, when they are first brought to
the Clinics, are cases of difficulty in reference to feeding, and ailments
obviously dependent on erroneous feeding, such as persistent
vomiting, constipation and diarrhoea. Such cases are
properly dealt with by the staff of the Clinics, and are taken under
observation for advice after individual study of each such child.
In a considerable proportion of cases attending the Clinics
regularly, minor ailments or more serious conditions of many
kinds come under the notice of the Medical Officer or Health
Visitors, and are dealt with as circumstances render desirable.