View report page

35
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Report by the Medical Officer in charge of the
Maternity and Child Welfare Department (Miss
Ruby Thomson, M.B., Ch.B., D.P.H.) on the work
of the Department.
During the greater part of 1931 the work of the
Maternity and Child Welfare Department was carried
on under arrangements made when the Council took
over full control of the Infant Welfare Centres in
April, 1930.
In September, however, an important change took
place. The Council decided that the time had come
for a consolidation of the work of the Department by
the appointment of one half-time medical officer to
take the place of the three part-time doctors who had
attended only at the Infant Welfare Centres. Accordingly,
Dr. Catharine Ross (Mrs. Colston) was appointed,
and her duties on three whole days each week were
divided between the Infant Welfare Centres and the
Town Hall, with visits to the Day Nursery and
Maternity Home. Dr. Ross had worked for the Council
as locum tenens on several occasions, and therefore
came to the Department knowing well the nature of
the work which she would be called upon to undertake.
While we regretted very much the departure of
the three medical officers who had done such good work
for Fulham, it was felt that a unification of the work
was an essential step in its progress.
About this time Dr. Hardy notified his approaching
resignation at the end of December. In view of this,
and on account of the fact that she was for domestic
reasons unable to devote any more time to the service
of the Council, Dr. Ross also.indicated that, when the
Council saw fit to reconsider the medical arrangements,
she would not stand in the way of the appointment of
a full-time medical officer.