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
West Ham 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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(b) Forms of dental treatment provided.
| Extractions | Anaesthet ics | Fillings | Scallngs or Scaling and gum treatment. | Silver Nitrate treatment. | Dressings | Radiographs | Dentures provided | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loc. | Gen. | |||||||||
| Complete | Partial | |||||||||
| Expectant and Nursing Mothers | 1,065 | 46 | 191 | 21 | 62 | - | 3 | 25 | 67 | 128 |
| Children under five | 1,056 | 6 | 380 | 465 | - | 262 | 169 | - | - | - |
All the dentures provided for this service are made at the Council's dental
laboratory and the radiographs are taken and processed with the Council's equipment.
Other Provision.
(a) Day Nurseries and Child Minding. Of the five War-time Day Nurseries three remained
open during 1952. The other two were previously transferred to the Education Committee
and are in use as Nursery Schools.
The following table shows the average attendance at the Day Nurseries during the year:-
| Nursery | No. of Approved Places | Average Daily Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2 yrs. | Over 2 yrs. | Total | ||
| Litchfield Ave. | 52 | 13 | 33 | 46 |
| Plaistow Road | 52 | 20 | 26 | 46 |
| Liverpool Road | 52 | 17 | 21 | 38 |
The incidence of infectious disease accounted for a high proportion of the absences.
At a time when measles was epidemic in the area, a large number of nursery children were
affected. At one nursery, 10 children and a member of the staff were found to be suffering
from Sonne Dysentery over a period of many weeks. No case of this infection was detected
at either of the other two nurseries.
The Day Nursery at Cumberland Road which is under the auspices of the Canning Town
Women's Settlement has recently been extended and since November, 1952, has provided places
for 30 children. There is only one Child Minder registered under the Act, and as she has
now taken a foster child she has never availed herself of the authority to receive children
for daily minding which such registration provided. There is no approved Child Minder
Service within the area.
(b) Convalescence. The following are comDarative fieures of the cases sent for convalescence luring the period 1949/1952:-
| Children under 5 years. | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To "Transferred Homes" | 30 | 19 | 7 | 4 |
| To Other Homes | 36 | 80 | 109 | 56 |
| TOTAL: | 66 | 99 | 116 | 60 |
| Mothers with Babies | 5 | 6 | 19 | 24 |