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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Grants of Milk.
Under the Ministry of Food scheme, expectant mothers, nursing mothers, and
children under five years of age, are supplied with dried milk or liquid milk, free or at 2d.
a pint, according to income. This means that the Borough Council scheme for supplying
these milks is required very little now, but babies requiring Cow & Gate or Ostermilk,
instead of National Dried Milk, can still be supplied by the Council's clinics. National
Cod Liver Oil, Orange Juice and Vitamin tablets are also supplied under the Ministry of
Food scheme, and can be obtained at the clinics during the usual clinic session hours.

There were 97 applications granted during the year, as follows:—

Table H.

Cow's milk freeCow's milk at 50% costDried milk freeDried milk at 50% cost
1943907

Dental Treatment.
By arrangement between this Council and the County Education Authority, expectant
and nursing mothers and children under five years of age attending the Maternity
and Child Welfare Centres are enabled to have dental treatment and advice, including
if necessary the provisions of dentures.
(For statistics of dental treatment see Appendix, Table XXI. The figures show a
grand total of 648 attendances, compared with 659 for 1942.)
Wartime Day Nurseries.
Two additional Wartime Day Nurseries were opened during the year, one in the
Recreation Ground, and one in Jubilee Park. Both nurseries were built to take 50 children
each, and all three nurseries are well utilised. The help given by Civil Defence staff and
other voluntary workers at these nurseries is much appreciated.
PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS AND OTHER
DISEASES.
During the latter part of the year, an epidemic of Scarlet Fever occurred, and the
hospital became very crowded during this time. Overcrowding lasted about six weeks,
and then the epidemic was got under control. As neighbouring hospitals were all overfull
at the same time; only two patients could be transferred, and they went to the Willesden
Municipal Hospital. It was possible to arrange for all other cases, except those which were
nursed at home, to be admitted to the Isolation Hospital. Home nursing, in view of the
crowded condition of many of the homes in the district, was only possible in a limited number
of cases. Arrangements for nursing and feeding patients at the Isolation Hospital were
very much strained during this period, but somehow all difficulties were overcome. The
number of complications following infection was extremely low, in spite of the full condition
of the hospital.
Provision of Antitoxin.
The Council provides antitoxin free to local medical practitioners for cases of
diphtheria in the district.
The Ministry of Health has also sanctioned the supply of tetanus antitoxin by the
Council to local practitioners if such is required.
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