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who are left. Dr. Newsholme, in his report to the Local Government Board, states:
"A heavy infant mortality implies a heavier death-rate up to five years of age;
and right up to adult life the districts suffering from a heavy child mortality have
higher death-rates than the districts whose infant mortality is low. It is strictly
correct, therefore, to say that a high infant mortality implies a high prevalence of
the conditions which determine national inferiority."
Two Health Visitors are employed by the Borough Council, but there arc
numerous Voluntary Organisations doing good work in the Borough. The work at
the Voluntary Centres can only be satisfactory when it is kept in touch with a system
of organised health visiting at home. By means of the Notification of Births Act,
early visits can be made to a household where a birth has occurred, and where a
visit is considered desirable. At these visits suitable advice is given by the Health
Visitor, and the mother is recommended to bring the child to the Centre. The
Health Visitor attached to the Centre hears the advice given by the doctor to the
mothers, and subsequently revisits the houses, thus ensuring that the medical
instructions are being carried out in the house. The homes of the mothers that
attend at the Centres are therefore not visited by the Council's Health Visitors, and
they devote their energies to those mothers who cannot, or will not, so attend. The
Council's Health Visitors attend the consultations at a certain number of the Centres
and thus keep in touch with the Voluntary Agencies. The list of births is supplied
to the Voluntary Agencies by the Public Health Department together with literature
on infant feeding, etc. Cards for filling in particulars are also supplied to their
Health Visitors, and these (or copies of them), when properly filled up, are returned
to me.at the end of the year. The Voluntary Agencies receive a moiety of the amount
of their expenditure from the Local Government Board provided the Medical Officer of
Health gives a certificate that he is satisfied with their work, and that they work in
co-operation with the Public Health Department. In order to further co-ordinate
the work, a Council formed of the Superintendent and one other representative of
each Voluntary Agency meets regularly at the Public Health Offices. It will be
seen therefore that the Public Health Department co-operates with the Voluntary
Agencies.
Details of areas and Voluntary Agencies dealing with maternity and infant
welfare in the Borough:—
No. 1 area.—Limehouse, Ratcliff and Shadwell. In this area are situated the
Mothers' Welcome, Commercial Road, and the Institute, Three Colt Street. About
1,400 births occur in this area every year.
Miss Virtue, the Council's Health Visitor, visits the births in Limehouse and
Ratcliff, and gives advice, etc. As many mothers as possible are advised to attend the
Welcomes with their babies. She regularly visits those who will not, or are unable
to attend. In this way the Health Visitor visits about 1,000 births every year, the
first visit being on the tenth day. She then decides how often a case is to be