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infant's requirements and none of the composition of the
stuffs they are giving it, can we wonder at the appalling
amount of preventable sickness and death ? But it is not only
in the actual number of deaths that one sees the evil of this
state of things reflected. One has to think of the far greater
number of infants who escape death, but grow up with constitutions
permanently damaged. It is obvious that there are
two main directions in which we must seek our remedy. We
must get in touch with the mothers of to-day both before and
after the baby has made its appearance, guide and help them,
and educate the mothers of the future while they are under
our control at school, and while their minds are plastic and
receptive.
It is in this connection that I believe the opening, towards
the end of the year, by the Wimbledon Mothers' and Babies'
Welcome Society of the School for Mothers at Wandle Bank
House (initiated through the efforts of Mrs. Collier, Dr.
Beatrice MacGregor and other ladies), and the employment
by the Society of a Lady Health Visitor, should prove of very
great value, there being a wide scope for the work they have
undertaken.
Notification of Births Act, 1907.—In December, 1907, the
Town Clerk submitted a report to the Sanitary Committee
upon this Act, when it was resolved that the consideration of
the report should be deferred to the next meeting of the Committee,
and I was directed in the meantime to report and
advise whether the Council should adopt this Act. I reported
accordingly and recommended that the Act should not be
adopted. This was considered by the Committee in January
and deferred, it being directed that a copy of the report
should be sent to each Member of the Council.
The report was again considered at the following meeting,
when it was resolved:—"That the General Purposes Committee
be informed that, in the opinion of this Committee,
no advantage would be gained by the adoption of the Notification
of Births Act, 1907, in this Borough."
This was approved by the General Purposes Committee,
but at the Council meeting in March, an amendment in the
following terms was carried:—"That this Council, being of
opinion that the Notification of Births Act, 1907, would, if
adopted in this Borough, tend to diminish the death-rate
amongst young children, and to improve their physical condition,
hereby directs the Sanitary Committee to consider and
report what steps may best be taken by the Council to carry
out the main object of the Act, namely, the giving of advice
and instruction to those who have charge of infants."
After this the matter was referred to a Sub-Committee
of the General Purposes Committee, which was called together
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