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37
Visits of Instruction re Management of Infants.—Duriug the year
1910, the homes of 715 recently-born infants were visited by the Lady
Sanitary Inspector. In 340 cases, re-visits were made. Altogether in
connection with this work 2,095 visits were paid with a view to giving
simple instructions to the mothers in infant care and management.
Dinner tickets for nursing mothers were given in suitable cases, and a
very large number of babies were taken regularly to Dr. Tribe's Infants'
Consultations, held one afternoon a week at 85, Sydney-street, which is
also used for Mrs. Gordon's dinners to nursing mothers. Altogether the
total attendances of the babies at the consultations was 775. The
mothers attend fortnightly at the consultations, if the babies maintain a
good condition of health, and weekly if the baby is not thriving as well as
could be desired.
During the year, 35 mothers were referred for medical treatment on
account of bad health, and about 100 babies were sent to hospitals or to
private doctors for various reasons. Ten mothers and their infants were
sent away into the country or to the seaside for the benefit of their
health.
During the summer months, 68 cases of infantile diarrhoea were
brought to the notice of the Lady Sanitary Inspector, and 365 visits were
paid in connection with these cases. In all these cases advice was given
as to the proper manner of following the directions given by the medical
attendant; and this advice was found to be of special service in the
preparation of albumen water from fresh eggs, which is now so largely
used in these cases as a substitute for milk. So far as could be
ascertained, the conditions which tend to promote summer diarrhoea in
infants were found to be as follows :—In the case of hand-fed babies :
Milk kept in unwholesome surroundings; dirty babies' bottles; dirty
utensils used in preparation of milk and infants' "comforters.'' In the
case of breast-fed babies: Carelessness of mothers in not cleansing their
nipples or the babies' mouths before suckling; sore nipples ; and bad
state of health of mother. In both breast-fed and bottle-fed babies,
diarrhoea seemed sometimes to be associated with neglect of cleanliness
of the home, and the presence of fiies in large numbers in the dwelling.
Of the 68 infants visited for summer diarrhoea, it is satisfactory to record
that only one case ended fatally. This case was admitted to the
Chelsea Infirmary as a severe case, and died five weeks after admission.
The large amount of work done in visits to mothers and infants
would have been impossible but for the assistance of a lady helper, Miss
Dorothy Guest, who assisted the Lady Sanitary Inspector from 21st July
to 7th November. Being a thoroughly trained and highly certificated
woman, her work was of special value when dealing with the diarrhoea
cases. Except for three weeks during August, when she acted as locum
tenens to the Lady Sanitary Inspector, her services were voluntarily
given without any payment for them. The honorarium for the August
work was provided from a charitable source.
The Notification of Births Act, 1907.—This Act came into force in
Chelsea on the 30th November, 1909. The notifications received during
the year have been as follows :—