London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Heston and Isleworth 1932

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]

This page requires JavaScript

A Medical Officer attends the Clinics on the following days:—
Hounslow—Tuesdays and Fridays, at 10 a.m.
Heston—Thursdays, at 10.30 a.m.
Isleworth—Mondays, at 10.30 a.m.
Cases are referred to the Clinics from school medical inspections, or are sent in by Head
Teachers, School Attendance Officers, and Health Visitors. The majority of the cases, however,
are sent in by Head Teachers, who doubtless realise the value of prompt treatment in
maintaining a good school attendance.
Since the middle of 1929 the Minor Ailments Clinics have been kept open during school
holidays (except such general holidays as Christmas Day, Bank Holidays, etc.), but there is
always a considerable drop in the attendance when schools are closed, which points to the
fact that, but for the vigilance of Teachers and Attendance Officers during term time, many
of the cases of minor ailments would go untreated and neglected.

The following comparative figures are interesting: —

Year.No. of individual children attending Minor Ailments Clinics.Total attendances for treatment
19302,0368,349
19312,41310,803
19322,76111,057

In addition to providing daily treatment for minor ailments, these Clinics also serve
as centres for the more detailed examination of special cases than the pressure at routine medical
inspections at schools will permit. Here again the calls upon the Medical Officer's time, particularly
at the Hounslow Clinic, have been so great that at the beginning of the year it was
necessary to commence the two medical sessions per week at Hounslow, half an hour earlier,
but the large attendances frequently cause very late Clinics. However, that is all the extra
time the Medcal Officer in charge of this Clinic can spare, and really a further half-day session
per week is indicated.

The following figures show the increase in the number of special examinations at School Clinics by Medical Officers:—

Year.Total number of Special examinations andre-examinations by Medical Officer.
1930. 2,532
1931. 3,534
1932. 3,802

(b). Tonsils and Adenoids.
As prevously stated, 369 children were referred for treatment on account of enlarged
tonsils and adenoids. Of this number, 125 were operated on under the arrangements made
by the Authority with the Hounslow and Richmond Hospitals in 1921, 53 received operative
treatment by private arrangements of the parents, and 2 cases received non-operative treatment.
The actual number treated during 1932 is therefore 180 out of 369 referred for treatment,
or 48 per cent.
Our methods of arranging treatment remain the same as in past years. A child must
be referred for treatment by one of the Medical Officers and the parents are then given an
application form on which they are asked to state details of their income and outgoings,
number in family, etc. As soon as this form is completed and returned, it is forwarded to
the Education Secretary who fixes the amount the parents shall be asked to contribute towards
the cost of the operation. The parents are then asked to give their written consent to the
operation, and when this is received the child's name and address is sent to the appropriate
Hospital. The hospitals make the appointment for treatment, and the Authority pays one
guinea for each case operated on.
The scale of parents' repayments is as follows: —
Weekly family income per
head, after deducting rent.
Parents' contribution towards
cost of o-peration.
Under 8/- nil.
From 8/- to 10/- 5/-
From 10/- to 12/- 10/-
Above 12/- 21/-
This scale of repayments does not apply to parents who are members of the rlospital
Savings Association. In these cases the Association's Voucher is accepted in lieu of a contribution,
and the Association in return pays an agreed sum per case to the Education Committee
for this treatment of their members' children.
(c). Tuberculosis.
Any suspicious case is immediately referred to the County Tuberculosis Officer, with
whose Dispensary in Bell Road we are in constant touch.
12