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
West Ham 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
This page requires JavaScript
Sunlight Treatment for Children under 5 years of age.
This specialised treatment can be obtained at the Stratford
Day Nursery Sunlight Clinic, under the supervision of Dr. Eva
Morton. The arrangement made in 1928 between the Maternity
and Child Welfare Committee and the Committee of the DayNursery
is still in force, whereby young children may be drafted
for treatment from any of the Welfare Centres in the Borough,
through the Medical Officer of Health. These children attend
twice weekly, a Municipal Health Visitor being in attendance at
these two sessions. In addition the Sunlight Clinic is open on
three sessions per week for the treatment of those children not
subsidised by the Council's Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme.
Many of the children are referred on account of anaemia
and general debility with flabby musculature: a marked improvement
is evident in those cases who attend regularly over a period
of several weeks. It has been observed by the Clinic Medical Officers
that possiblv the greatest improvement seems to be in those
children referred for "nervous debility"—the then irritable, restless
child becomes quieter, happier and more amenable, the
appetite improves, the child sleeps better, and there is a very
definite physical as well as mental improvement in these cases.
| Total number of new cases | 128 |
| Total attendances for treatment | 24,12 |
| (2) Day Nursery Clinic. (3 sessions per week) | |
| Total number of new cases | 142 |
| Total attendances for treatment | 4685 |
Distributions of Dried Milk to Expectant and Nursing Mothers
and to Children under 3 years of age.
During 1933 the arrangements hitherto in force have continued
unaltered in regard to the distribution of Dried Milk from
the four Centres in the Borough, viz.:—
84 West Ham Lane, Stratford.
Public Hall, Barking Road, Canning Town.
Nurses' Home, Howards Road, Plaistow.
Maternity and Child Welfare Centre, Barnwood Road,
Silvertown.
In March, 1934, a Distributing Centre was commenced on
one day per week at the Forest Gate Maternity and Child Welfare
Centre for the benefit of those mothers in the outlying parts of
the district on that side of the Borough. It is now possible for all
mothers to obtain this milk from Centres accessible to their homes.
57