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
Southall 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]
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Ultra-violet Light Clinics.
Four sessions per week for treatment of ultra-violet light were held during 1947—two
for expectant mothers and children under five years of age attending the Manor House
Clinics, and two for those attending the Branch Centre Clinic.
Ultra-violet light treatment is especially necessary for young children showing early
traces of rickets infection, as the amount of natural sunlight during winter months is so
limited. All patients are weighed at the commencement and finishing of a course of
treatment, and the majority show a distinct gain in weight, improvement in appetite and
general tone. It is difficult to obtain the attendance of expectant mothers to this clinic,
but special efforts will be made to bring the usefulness of this treatment to the notice of
suitable cases and to emphasise the value of it both to themselves and to their expected
children.
Table C
| Number of sessions held: 115. Number of attendances:— | First Visits | Re-visits |
|---|---|---|
| Mothers | 1 | 2 |
| Infants | 158 | 1,596 |
Post-Natal and Birth Control Clinic.
Table D
| Number of sessions held: 24. Number of attendances:— | Post-Natal | Birth Control |
|---|---|---|
| First Visits | 96 | 81 |
| Re-attendances | 106 | 72 |
Ante-Natal Clinics.
The number of new patients seen at the Ante-natal Clinics during the year was 812,
and the total number of attendances was 4,704 (2,898 at the Manor House and 1,806 at the
Branch Centre).
786 cases were completed during the year, and the attendances in respect of these were as follows:—
| No. of Cases | |
|---|---|
| One attendance | 65 |
| Two attendances | 52 |
| Three attendances | 48 |
| Four attendances | 83 |
| Five attendances | 95 |
| Six or more attendances | 443 |
For table of comparison of figures for last eight years, and the proportion of new cases
to re-visits, see Appendix, Table X.
Although there is a slight drop in the figure for attendance at the Ante-natal Clinic,
i.e., 4,704 in 1947 as compared with 4,861 in 1946, this figure means that individual sessions
averaged 20 5 attendances and were very often overcrowded with an attendance of 25 to 30.
Further ante-natal clinic provision remains an urgent need.
Table E.I
| Completed cases | 786 |
| Uncompleted cases | 195 |
| Non-pregnant | 16 |
| Removals from district | 59 |