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impossible to shut one's eye to the question of the influence of
the father; and taking an analogy from the breeders of stock in
the animal kingdom, where the male parent is selected with great
care, one is brought face to face with the necessity of seeing that
not only the mothers, but also the fathers are kept in such a state of
nutrition that they are fit to procreate children. I mention this as
a difficulty which is likely to render the special efforts made for
looking after the mother as not being of the same value as they
appear at first sight. A witness before the Departmental Committee
stated that food was at the base of all evils of child degeneracy,
but I think I would omit the qualification of the opinion inferred by
the word child, and would say that all measures whose purpose is to
lessen infantile mortality unless they include attention on this point
are likely to disappoint their advocates.
The question of health visitors has been very strongly insisted
on by many. Some speakers have even gone so far as to pillory
those Boroughs where these officials have not been appointed as belonging
to a class who do not properly recognise their responsibilities,
and who are not efficiently carrying out the duties entrusted to
them by the State. There are many Boroughs who have already
appointed such inspectors, and they claim to have secured a diminution
in the rate of infantile mortality by that means. Huddersfield,
in particular, has made such a statement, and in connection with
this I propose to give the figures for the corresponding period for
Camberwell. whereby it will be seen that there have been considerable
reductions here without such an appointment and its consequent
expense.
Infantile Mortality.
Annual Rate per 1,000 Births for the years 1903-4-5-6-7.
Huddersfield
Rate.
Camberwell
Rate.
Year.
120
1903
123
1904
144
136
1905
124
119
135
1906
130
97
1907
115
There can be no doubt that the weather exercises a paramount
influence, for it will be seen that in a certain year there was a fall,
and in others there may be a rise, which is shown in all localities,
but especially among the poorer classes, where extremes of weather
cannot be so well guarded against.
From the following statement it will be seen that, from the
statistical point of view, there seems to be no absolute difference
between those Metropolitan Boroughs where health visitors are
wholly and partly employed and where they are not, and by no
means is there any striking diminution of infantile mortality in the
former category.
V