London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Wanstead and Woodford 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wanstead and Woodford]
This page requires JavaScript
Provision of Nutrients and Medicaments.
The supply of nutrients and medicaments in accordance with the
County Council's scheme and the facilities provided by the Ministry of
Food for the distribution of orange juice, cod liver oil and Vitamin A and
D tablets from the child welfare centres has continued to operate throughout
the year, this work being undertaken by voluntary helpers.
It is fitting here to record an appreciation of the excellent work
carried out by voluntary helpers in this branch of the work.
Dental Treatment and Dentures.
Every endeavour has been made to ensure that expectant and nursing
mothers and children of pre-school age can obtain priority dental treatment
but the acute shortage of dental surgeons has presented a grave difficulty
and far from being able to expand this service as visualised by the County
Council in their proposals under the National Health Service Act it has
been necessary to curtail it within the limits of the staff available.
The following tables show the extent of treatment which it has beenpossible to provide:—
| Examined | Needing Treatment | Treated | Made Dentally Fit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expectant Mothers | 9 | 9 | 33 | 9 |
| Nursing Mothers | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 |
| Pre-school Children | 40 | 38 | 57 | 34 |
FORMS OF DENTAL TREATMENT
| Extractions | Anaesthetics | Fillings | Scalings, etc. | Silver Nitrate Treatment | Dressings | Dentures Provided | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local | General | Complete | Partial | ||||||
| Expectant Mothers | 19 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 10 | Nil | 2 | Nil | 4 |
| Nursing Mothers | 7 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 | Nil | Nil | 2 | 1 |
| Pre-school Children | 23 | Nil | 17 | 24 | 2 | 35 | 19 | Nil | Nil |
Day Nursery.
The admission of children to the day nursery in Spratt Hall Road
Wanstead has continued on the same lines as in 1949, applicants being
classified priority or non-priority according to the domestic circumstances
of the family. The priority group includes the widow, separated, divorced
and cases where the mother is the sole support of the family. It is estimated
that approximately 50% of the places are occupied by applicants in this
Periodic reviews have been carried out throughout the year by a SubCommittee
appointed specially for the purpose to ensure that the best use
is made of the accommodation.
40