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
Kensington 1927
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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71
THE BABY CLINIC, No. 92, TAVISTOCK ROAD.
The Baby Clinic acts both as a Treatment Centre and Infant Welfare Centre, but it is not an
Infant Welfare Centre in the same sense as the other seven; nevertheless, much valuable work is
performed.
The following are the records for the year ending December 31st, 1927:—
| Number of sessions at which doctors attended for infant consultations | 151 |
| Number of sessions at which doctors attended for special ante-natal and post-natal consultations | 50 |
| Total number of individual mothers who attended during year | 259 |
| Total number of individual children who attended during year (Old) | 844 |
| ,, ,, ,, (New) | 683 |
| Total attendances at Centre of mothers for all purposes (excluding the accompanying of children) | 1020 |
| Total attendances of children at Centre for all purposes | 15,871 |
| Number seen by doctor at consultations:— | |
| 1. Ante-natal mothers | 350 |
| 2. Post-natal mothers | 550 |
| 3. Children | 6,946 |
| Average number seen by doctor at consultations:— | |
| 1. Ante-natal mothers | 7 |
| 2. Post-natal mothers | 11 |
| 3. Children | 46 |
| Number of individual children weighed | 1,527 |
| Total weighings | 6,946 |
Collective instruction by lectures is undertaken at Tavistock Road by the Council's
Health Lecturer, but there is little home visting.
Under an arrangement with the County Council, certain minor defects and ailments discovered
in children at the school medical examinations are treated at this Clinic and much useful work in
this direction is being carried out.
LADBROKE ROAD BABY IN-PATIENT HOSPITAL.
This institution, which was opened in 1919, has 20 beds for the treatment of sub-acute and
chronic diseases.
Records for the year 1927:—
| Number of infants in residence at commencement of year | 18 |
| Number of admissions during the year | 120 |
| Number of discharges during the year | 113 |
| Number of deaths during the year | 12 |
| Number in residence at end of year | 13 |
| Average duration of stay in hospital | 45 days |
As in previous years the Council made a grant of £200 to the Authorities of the Hospital
towards the maintenance for a further period of twelve months of two beds therein, to be placed at
the disposal of the Infant Welfare Centres serving the Borough, the grant to be subject to the same
conditions as in 1926, viz., that provision shall be made for the doctors in attendance at the
Centres to continue in the hospital, if they so desire, the supervision of the cases recommended by
them, and that the Medical Officer of Health shall continue a representative of the Council on the
Committee of Management and shall be furnished with the names and addresses of patients
admitted from within the Borough, together with the dates of their admission and discharge.
Although two beds are reserved for children recommended from the various Kensington Welfare
Centres, all the beds are available for children belonging to the Borough.
ARTIFICIAL SUNLIGHT TREATMENT.
(The Baby Clinic and Hospital).
Dr. W. A. Hislop, one of the Medical Officers of the Hospital, has kindly supplied me with the
following report in regard to Light Treatment.
Artificial Sunlight Treatment in the Baby Clinic and Hospital.
During the past year there have been treated in the Light Department of the Baby Clinic and
Hospital 173 new cases involving 4,544 treatments and making an average of about 86 attendances
weekly. The number of treatments showed only a slight increase over the numbers for the year
1926 (4,363) as, for the past 2 years, the whole available time of the Department has been taken
up.