London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Chelsea 1905
Annual report for 1905 of the Medical Officer of Health
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45
greatest number of men were out of employment. The mothers of
illegitimate children are almost invariably obliged to go to work, so
that the infants are usually weaned and brought up by hand, and are
generally given over to the charge of others.
Only a very small percentage of the infants sleep by themselves.
This is not so much due to the inability to provide a cradle, or substitute
for a cradle, than to fixed custom. Many of the mothers have cradles,
but do not let their children sleep in them at night.
The practice of giving soothing syrups and patent medicines to
babies seems unfortunately fairly general. It is to be regretted that so
many circulars advertising patent foods and medicines for infants are
distributed by the trade amongst the poorer class of mothers.
| (1) | Number of New Workshops registered | 70 |
| Number of Workshop inspections | 460 | |
| Visits of Inquiry re Employment of Women, &c. | 215 | |
| Workrooms measured | 121 | |
| Workroom Cards distributed | 62 | |
| (2) | Outworkers' premises visited | 41 |
| Visits of Inquiry re Outworkers | 64 | |
| (3) | Cases of Infantile Mortality investigated | 115 |
| Number of Visits paid | 161 | |
| (4) | Phthisis cases notified (all sources) | 57 |
| Number of visits paid (including visits of inquiry) | 321 | |
| (5) | School cases reported | 322 |
| Number of visits paid | 369 | |
| (6) | Visits of Instruction re Management of Infants,&c. | 594 |
| Speoial cases | 39 |