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11
Subsequent to Confinement.
Medical practitioners have again been encouraged to send cases of puerperal pyrexia into
hospital at an early stage, and the reluctance on the part of women to go to hospital for these
conditions is disappearing.
Ten cases of puerperal pyrexia were admitted to hospital during the year, 5 to the Isolation
Block at Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital, 4 to West Middlesex County Hospital, and one
to the County Hospital, Uxbridge. The results in some instances have been dramatically
satisfactory, cases in which the outlook appeared extremely grave have improved rapidly and
recovered completely.
No application was received for the services of a consultant in cases of puerperal pyrexia.
A special clinic for the examination of mothers after confinement has not been established.
The majority of the mothers who have been admitted to the West Middlesex Hospital for their
confinement attend that hospital subsequently for examination and consequently the attendances
for this purpose at the Ante-natal Clinics in the Borough are relatively small.
It was decided, at the end of the year, to spe as many post-natal cases as possible at the '
Ante-natal Clinics, but this was not found to be practicable to any extent as the attendances
of expectant mothers at the ante-natal sessions, even although held more frequently, is so
great as to render it impossible to see any appreciable number of post-natal cases as well. The
question of still further increasing the Ante-natal Clinic sessions will therefore have to be
considered.
Milk was supplied free or at less than cost price to 51 nursing mothers during the year.
Dental Treatment.
Before the enlargement of the Borough, no facilities existed for the dental treatment of
expectant and nursing mothers in either Teddington, Hampton, or Hampton Wick. The
arrangements for this, which have existed in the area of the former Borough for several years,
were extended to include the whole area of the enlarged Borough.
Dental treatment carried out during the year was as follows:—
Expectant mothers 58
Nursing mothers 24
Dentures supplied 5
Institutional Provision for Mothers and Children.
No formal arrangements have been made to provide Institutional treatment for mothers
and children.
Health Visitors.
On the completion of the new Clinic at Hospital Bridge Road, one of the Health Visitors
who had been engaged on a part-time basis was replaced by a whole-time officer. On the date
of the enlargement of the Borough, 3 Health Visitors who were already engaged in duties in
Teddington and Hampton were added to the staff, and at the end of the year an additional
Health Visitor was engaged, making 8 in all.
The duties of nurses under the School Medical Service in the areas of Teddington, Hampton
and Hampton Wick, and the duties of Health Visitor and Child Life Protection Visitor in
Hampton Wick, were carried out by the Middlesex County Council until the date of the
enlargement of the Borough, when these nurses were withdrawn and the duties taken over by
the Health Visitors employed by the Corporation. In consequence, the nursing staff in these
districts is no longer duplicated and the control has been unified.
The visits paid to the homes by the Health Visitors during the year included the
following:—
To expectant mothers 578
To children under 1 year of age 6,286
To children between the ages of 1 and 5 years 8,789
In addition many visits were paid to children of school age who were reported absent from
school on account of suspected infectious disease and for the purpose of following up school
children who had been recommended for treatment or for whom observation wrrs required.
The Health Visitors also attended when required at the minor ailment and dental clinics.
Winter School.
Two of the Health Visitors attended a study course during the winter. *