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

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Southall 1938

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]

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Treatment.
Cases of acute illness, and of chronic illness where indicated, are referred
to their own doctors for treatment. For other cases of chronic illness the
following arrangements have been made with London and local hospitals:—
Defect. Hospital.
Tonsils and Adenoids King Edward Hospital, Ealing.
Orthopaedic conditions King Edward Hospital, Ealing.
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
Orthoptic „ Western Ophthalmic Hospital, Marylebone Road.
Rheumatic „ Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond St., W.C.
Child guidance West End Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Welbeck
Street, W. 1.
There are disadvantages in this variety of hospitals, but with the
geographical position of Southall some disadvantages are unavoidable. Help
is given with payment of fares if the family income is below a certain scale.
A system of following-up has been instituted whereby the health visitors
make enquiries to see if the proper treatment has been carried out and, if not,
steps are taken to persuade the parent to obtain the necessary treatment.
Remedial Exercises.
In October this year two afternoon sessions of special Margaret Morris
Movement exercises were instituted at the Branch Health Centre. The
duration of the session is two hours, the first half being devoted to children
and the second to expectant mothers.
For children the special play exercises are scientifically modelled to hold
the attention, inculcate a sense of rhythm and benefit the recipient by controlled
activity of each muscle group. Many toddlers exhibit tendencies towards
physical deformity and frequently show a particularly bad posture when
resting in the erect position. These defects, slight in themselves, are frequently
overlooked by the parents and even if the child is taken to consultation at
hospital are discounted by the examining physician, who is unconsciously
comparing with marked deformities with which he is more familiar. Children
are selected by members of the medical staff who supervise all the treatment
given, and it has been found that many incipient defects in this early state
can easily be remedied.
The Ante-Natal exercises were evolved along lines suggested by the
physiological event of labour and are designed to acquaint the woman with
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