[Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Somerset County Council.

  • Somerset Council
Date:
1937
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Somerset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    26/66 (page 22)
    During the year the Sanatorium suffered the loss of its original matron, Mrs. Batchelder, a person not at all easy to follow, but we have been fortunate to secure the services of Miss Coppinger, who has most successfully carried on, keeping up the cheerful atmosphere of the Sanatorium and the morale of the patients. To this end, concerts, entertainments and whist drives have 'been organised. In my view, it is a most essential part of the treatment that the patients should be kept contented and confidently happy. I should like now to thank everyone, including the patients, for their co-operation during the year, and I hope and expect that it will be continued. Compton Bishop Children’s Home. This valuable institution was opened in October, 1917, for 19 beds, and in 1919 was enlarged for 29 beds and in 1928 for 38 'beds. It has ahvays been economical to run, and the results of the treatment as may be- seen from tbe ap])ended table have been most satisfactory. The average duration of stay is about 9 mouths for notified cases and for those under observation about 11 weeks. It is the aim at this Children’s Home to treat “the whole child’’ and not merely the particular physical w'eakness which presents itself first. The whole atmosphere is beneficial to a child wBose bodily condition has prevented him or her from living a normal life at home and whose mentality is warped and dulled in conse¬ quence. The quiet orderly routine is particularly helpful, connbined as it is with personal observation and treatment for each child so that there is no forcing of a child who needs more rest than the others. The results of treatment—and the following up which is an essential part of the scheme —speak for themselves and are most encouraging. The condition of all definite cases discharged up to the end of 1937 is as follows:— Cases. Percentage. Cured 388 63.2 Arrested (working or at school) 93 15.2 Arrested—Not working 2 0.3 Not Arrested—Working 46 7.5 Not Arrested—Not w'orking 9 1.5 Lost sight of Dead—of Tuberculosis 19] 52 8.5 Other conditions 2 1 24 3.8 Not ascertained 3j 614 In addition to the above cases the records of 28 are available but are not included as they stayed less than one month, and there are also 93 children who have received treatment at the Homo and were finally discharged as not tuberculous.