[Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Birmingham.

  • Birmingham (England). Council.
Date:
1937
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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

    69/264 (page 53)
    There were no cases of blindness this year, and only one case recorded as defective sight, and in this case the defect was due to a congenital abnormality of the eyes and not to inflammation. The Health Visitors and Supervisors of Midwives paid 2,569 effective visits to notified cases. Pemphigus Neonatorum Seven cases of pemphigus neonatorum were reported during 1937. Six were removed to hospital. MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE SERVICE Health Visitors’ Training Course The fifteenth course of training for the Health Visitors’ Certificate was held from September 6th, 1937, to March 15th, 1938. Twenty-nine can- didates entered for the course, eighteen taking the Birmingham Assisted Course. Two students were entered by the Sussex County Nursing Association, two hy the Chichester District Nursing Association, and the remaining seven were independent candidates from various parts of the country. In addition, one student on leave from missionary work abroad attended tutorials during February and March, giving part-time service in the Department when not at tutorials. Twenty-nine students sat for the examination of the Royal Sanitary Institute in Birmingham on March 31st, April 1st and 2nd. One student was unable to take the examination owing to a period of sick leave, but is entered for the examination in Manchester in April. Twenty-five, or 86 per cent, were successful and were awarded the Health Visitors’ Certificate. The average percentage of passes for the previous fourteen examinations was 84 per cent. Of the eleven independent students, six have returned to Queen’s Nursing Associations, one has received an appointment as a Health Visitor at Exeter, and two are doing relief work in the Department. Of the remaining two who are still awaiting appointments, one failed to pass the examination. The course has followed the lines of previous years. Special work included Child Life Protection, Venereal Disease Clinics, the Almoner’s Department at the General Hospital, and attendance at Public Assistance Offices. In addition to the usual visits of observation, special visits were paid to the Orthoptic Department of the Eye Hospital, where modern methods of treating squint were demonstrated, and to the Children’s Hospital. Visits were also paid to the Out-patient Department of the Royal Cripples’ Hospital, where a most instructive lecture and demon- stration on congenital deformities was given, and to the Babies’ Hospital at Canwell Hall.