The original caption may contain language which is historic and which may no longer be considered appropriate. It has been retained in the record in the interest of historical accuracy.
The caption on the reverse of the photograph reads: “Supplying human milk (see attached story). Photo shows:- The sterilized and sealed jar of milk tablets is then placed in the freezer until required. A temperature of 10 degrees below zero allows them to be kept indefinitely, until they are packed in cases of dry ice for despatch.”
Established as a lying-in hospital, the original Queen Charlotte’s Hospital opened in 1739 in Jermyn Street. It was moved, renamed, and – due to demand on its services – rebuilt numerous times before the 20th century. An isolation hospital was established on Goldhawk Road in 1929, with the intention that it would become part of an enlarged hospital called Queen Charlotte’s Maternity Hospital. Operating on two sites throughout the 1930s, the main hospital building was constructed between 1937 and 1939. All services moved to Goldhawk Road in 1940 and became a postgraduate teaching school after joining the NHS in 1948. The Human Milk Bureau was established in 1939 and is now the oldest continuously operating milk bank in the world. The need for human milk was recognised after the birth of quadruplets in St Neot’s in 1935, with breast milk being delivered to their home daily, and following urgent calls for milk. The milk was obtained only from nursing mothers recommended by medical officers, and was thoroughly tested. The milk bank provided breast milk to preterm and sick babies, and milk could be dispatched almost immediately to any part of the country. The milk bank now operates from Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital and serves neonatal units in London and the Greater London area. See also MED01/01/0190-0200, and MED01/02/0007. High-resolution copies of this image are available for free for non-commercial use. Please Enquire to place an order.
This is part of the Series: MED01/01 Series of prints; within the Collection: MED01 Topical Press Agency Medical Collection
Source: Historic England Archive
Photographer: Topical Press Agency Limited
Photographer: Harrison, Norman Kingsley
Maternity Hospital, People At Work, Women's History, Health And Welfare
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