[Report 1951] / School Medical Officer of Health, Exeter.

  • Exeter (England). City Council
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / School Medical Officer of Health, Exeter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Disease. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June] July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Total. Poliomyelitis— Non-Paralytic 1 1 i Influenzal- Pneumonia 46 22 8 2 — — — 1 1 3 5 1 89 Pneumonia ii 6 5 4 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 51 Puerperal Pyrexia — 2 2 — 1 4 3 4 3 2 2 24 Diphtheria - — — — — — — 1 — — — 1 Typhoid Para ‘B’ — — — — — - - 1 1 — — 2 Measles 13 66 242 208 558 669 296 82 18 — — 1 2,153 Whooping Cough 17 40 51 33 23 28 15 13 7 6 20 27 280 Total 103 149 337 273 594 707 321 112 46 29 48 84 2,803 CHILD NEGLECT. The Medical Officer of Health was nominated by the Council as the co-ordinating officer responsible for calling together various people interested in the welfare of children, with a view to dis- cussing cases brought to their notice of child neglect at home and trying to help the families concerned, so that the lot of the children might be improved. The Deputy Medical Officer of Health, the Children’s Officer, the Welfare Officer, the School Welfare Officer, the Superintendent Health Visitor, the Deputy Housing Manager, the Inspector of the Exeter Branch of the National Society for Prevention of 1 Cruelty to Children, the Secretary of the Exeter Council of Social Service, the Almoner of the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, and the Probation Officers with the Medical Officer of Health constitute an informal committee for child care. They meet monthly. Each case is discussed and it is arranged that one (as a rule) or more of the members shall visit the family and assist by advice or securing such voluntary or public help as may be appropriate and available. Twenty families were referred to them in 1951. In 2 cases the family later moved to a home outside the City. The general complaint was neglect, not wilful cruelty. In one case the neglect was quite temporary. In 2 cases better housing accommodation was secured through the Housing Department. 2 of the children had attended Child Guidance Centres and both these improved whilst under observation of the Child Care Committee : in both of these the general care of the families improved considerably.