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 1935
[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:—
| 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients under treatment at commencement of the year | Women | 2 | 3 | - | - | - |
| Children | 28 | 30 | 37 | 21 | 20 | |
| No. of patients who commenced treatment during the year | Women | 10 | 5 | — | 2 | 2 |
| Children | 107 | 122 | 94 | 87 | 96 | |
| No. of patients who completed treatment during the year | Women | 8 | 5 | — | 2 | 2 |
| Children | 96 | 90 | 99 | 66 | 62 | |
| No. of patients who failed to attend for completion of treatment | Women | 1 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Children | 9 | 25 | 11 | 22 | 15 | |
| No. of patients under treatment at end of the year | Women | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| Children | 30 | 37 | 21 | 20 | 39 | |
| Total number of attendances of patients | Women | 138 | 65 | — | 22 | 16 |
| Children | 1485 | 1846 | 1330 | 1185 | 1195 | |
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 £99 9s. 0d.,
whilst a sum of £6 3s. 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 the year 1935 sixty-two children and two women completed treatment. These comprised the following cases:—
| Rickets | 22 |
| Malnutrition | 19 |
| Marasmus | 7 |
| Debility | 6 |
| Anaemia | 5 |
| Ante-natal | 2 |
| Asthma and Bronchitis | 1 |
| Bronchial Catarrh | 1 |
| Neurosis | 1 |
Rickets.—The treatment of these patients needs to be accompanied by the
administration of cod liver oil or halibut liver oil. Where there are bony
defects, orthopaedic treatment is necessary after the healing of rickets. In
some cases prolonged treatment is needed to produce complete healing.
Malnutrition.—Under this heading are included children of subnormal
weight and gaining very little, and those who, though of average weight, are
failing to increase in weight.