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
Hackney 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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The following is a summary of the work done at the Clinic during the past five years:—
| 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients under treatment at commencement of the year | Women | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | — |
| Children | 25 | 28 | 30 | 37 | 21 | |
| No. of patients who commenced treatment during the year | Women | 5 | 10 | 5 | — | 2 |
| Children | 77 | 107 | 122 | 94 | 87 | |
| No. of patients who completed treatment during the year | Women | 4 | 8 | 5 | — | 2 |
| Children | 54 | 96 | 90 | 99 | 66 | |
| No. of patients who failed to attend for completion of treatment | Women | — | 1 | 3 | — | — |
| Children | 20 | 9 | 25 | 11 | 22 | |
| No. of patients under treatment at end of the year | Women | 2 | 3 | — | — | |
| Children | 28 | 30 | 37 | 21 | 20 | |
| Total number of attendances of patients | Women | 33 | 138 | 65 | — | 22 |
| Children | 886 | 1485 | 1846 | 1330 | 1185 | |
Payments to the Medical Officer in charge of the Clinic and to
the Hackney District Nursing Association for the services of a
Nurse at each session amounted during the year to £101 8s. 0d.,
whilst a sum of £5 4s. 0d. was received in respect of treatment given
during that period.
A report by Dr. Dorothy B. Gere, the Medical Officer in charge,
is given here.
| During 1934 sixty-six patients finished treatment. These included :— | |
| Malnutrition | 26 cases |
| Marasmus | 1 case |
| Failure to gain weight | 3 cases |
| Rickets | |
| Debility | 6 ” |
| Cough | |
| Adenitis | 1 case |
| Anaemia | 1 ” |
| Chilblains | 2 cases |
| Muscular weakness | 1 case |
| Ante-natal | 2 cases |
Malnutrition.—The general condition of these children improves considerably
apart from the gain in weight, and the mothers often comment on the
fact that they seem happier, or eat better, or seem more lively. The average
gain in weight of the cases treated was 71b. 7ozs. per month.
Marasmus.—This child weighed 131b. loz. at seven months (birth-weight,
101b.). She was very ill-nourished and had rickets. After five months' treatment
she weighed 18lb. 4ozs. and had four teeth.