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
East Ham 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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All guardianship cases are supervised either directly or indirectly by the Authority,
| No on register on 1/1/55 | 9 |
| No admitted to institutions .. | - |
| No of orders discharged by Board of Control | 1 |
| No. on register on 31/12/55 .. | 8 |
| +- No. visited by membe rs of Mental Health Committee | 4 |
| / No visited by Medical Officer of Health | 4 |
+ Outside area
/ Inside area
The number of mental defectives on the register of the Occupation Centre on 31/12/55,
was 51 '25 males 26 females). With the exception of one male, who attended mornings
only, all defectives attended the centre for the whole day
TABLE 32
MENTAL DEFECTIVE OCCUPATION CENTRE SESSIONS AND ATTENDANCES 1955
| Morning | Afternoon | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No of sessions held during the year | 220 | 220 | ||
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| Total attendances | 4,772 | 4, 290 | 4,601 | 4,290 |
| 21, 69 | 19, 5 | 20.91 | 19.0 | |
| Total attendances males 9,373 females 8,580 total 17,953 | ||||
Eight defectives attended the Welfare Services Occupation Centre for the handicapped
during 1955
The plans for the provision of a second occupation centre for mental defectives remain
as detailed on page 54 of the report for 1949
The expanded centre in Katherine Road continues to function under the handicap of the
Mental Health Committee not being the sole users of the premises After each daily session
all the work finished and unfinished must be packed up and safely locked away together
with all mobile equipment and small items of apparatus for parts of the premises are then
used for other purposes by different sections of the community This factor also militates
against the employ of small looms and work benches,, etc which are more static and could
not be stored each late afternoon when the centre closes. So the type of instruction given
is necessarily curtailed to that which can be imparted only with the aid of small mobile
apparatus,
This rather stultifies the efforts of the staff with the older and more capable boys and
girls who could be taught simple mechanical trade processes which might even prove
lucrative in the end and give a greater measure of satisfaction and sense of achievement
-to the patients In spite of this the occupation centre serves a useful purpose in the
instruction of the defectives who come daily to it and in the relief afforded to many a
family who could not cope with the situation of the defective always with them