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

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Southall 1943

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]

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tion of the provision of increased facilities for ante-natal examinations will have to be made.
The figure for six or more attendances is an excellent one, showing a 50 per cent. increase
over 1942 in the number who have attended regularly during a considerable portion of their
ante-natal period, and this in spite of conditions which I mentioned in last year's Report
still obtaining, i.e., that many of the mothers are, of necessity, working through a considerable
period of their pregnancy.

Table E.I.

Completed cases551
Uncompleted cases286
Non-pregnant26
Removals from district42
(New cases : 674. Brought forward from 1942, 231)905

Table E.II.

Primipara (1st Pregnancy)Multipara (2nd or Subsequent Pregnancy)Delivered at homeAdmitted to hospital or Nursing Home
PrimiparaMultiparaPrimiparaMultipara
Normal cases14430343158101145
Abnormal cases56486165032

Of the cases dealt with therefore 36 per cent. were primiparae (against 38 per cent.
in 1942) and of these 75 per cent. (against 64 per cent. in 1942) were confined in hospital,
while 50 per cent. (against 41 per cent.) of the multiparae were also confined in hospital.
Table XI in Appendix gives the chief abnormalities found during the year.
Child Welfare Clinics.
The attendances at the Child Welfare clinics during 1943 are shown in Table XII
in Appendix.
The total number of attendances at the Infant Welfare and Toddlers' Clinics during
1943 was 12,852, as compared with 13,346 for 1942.
These figures show a slight decrease on the total figure for 1942, but it will be noted
that the proportion of new infant cases attending the clinics, to total live births in the district,
(see Appendix Table XIII), has increased in 1943, and that the attendance is very good in
spite of wartime conditions. Also, a considerable number of mothers who have been
regular clinic attenders have been able to have their children cared for by putting them in
the wartime nurseries, where they are under constant medical and nursing supervision
and therefore need not also attend clinics.
Pre-school Medical Inspection (Toddlers' Clinics).
Toddlers' Clinics are held fortnightly at each centre. The total attendances at these
clinics were 432, 269 at the Manor House and 163 at the Branch Centre. (See Appendix,
Tables XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, and XVIII.)
The general physical condition of children under five years of age in Southall is
on the whole satisfactory as the defects found, although apparently large in number, contain
many of a minor degree which are present fortuitously at the time of examination and
are quickly remedied.
Many children were selected during the year for treatment at the remedial exercise
classes where defects of posture and slight deformities are corrected by specially arranged
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