Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1910
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separate cots for the babies, so that they shall not sleep in bed with
their parents. One can only hope that in time with the co-operation
of the doctors and midwives we may educate the people to see the
harm that these dummies do, and also the importance of the children
not sleeping with their parents.
The following table gives the result of my inquiries as to the
feeding of the babies. In all cases I urge the extreme importance
of breast feeding for as long a period as possible until the child is
9 months old. If I find that hand-feeding is necessary, I leave one
of the leaflets drawn up by you, giving careful directions as to the
feeding of the child, the cooking of the milk, and the bottle to be
used, etc., etc.
"Mixed feeding" in the table below means both breast and hand-fed.
Ward. | Breast. | Mixed. | Hand. | Totals. |
---|---|---|---|---|
East | 474 | 45 | 18 | 537 |
North | 301 | 41 | 18 | 360 |
North-West | 160 | 28 | 11 | 199 |
South | 10 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
South-East | 103 | 10 | 5 | 118 |
South-West | 55 | 8 | 8 | 71 |
Totals | 1103 | 134 | 60 | 1297 |
It must be remembered that most of these figures only deal with
conditions as I found them on my first visit, as in very few cases
have I had time to pay a second visit. It is therefore highly probable
that a great many of the 1,103 children who were only breast fed on
my first visit were later on hand fed as well in some way.
The Committee of H. R. H. The Duchess of Albany's Deptford
Fund have very kindly allowed me tickets, which enable me to give
three dinners a week to two women on payment of a penny for each
dinner, or to two children on payment of id. for each dinner. These
dinners I have found specially useful for some of the mothers, who,
at the time when I visit them just after their confinement, are in
special need of nourishing food.
I am in touch with the Deptford Branch of the Charity Organisation
Society, with the Rescue Workers in the Borough and also with
the Ladies' Committee for helping girls after they leave Greenwich
Infirmary.