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48
The slight reduction in the amount paid for milk is due to the fact
that the number of children resorting to the depot is lower than in
1907. The explanation that there was a marked reduction in the cost
of the items, "Carriage," "Bottles," "Washers, Teats, etc.," and
"Boxes," is that for the last 3 months of the year a new contract had
been entered into by the Council by which the contractors (the
Aylesbury Dairy Company) undertook the responsibility of providing
for these.
INSTRUCTION OF MOTHERS—In addition to the consultation
held at the depot, chiefly in connection with depôt-fed babies, but
resorted to by other mothers, who were feeding their children either
wholly or partly on the breast or with other foods, consultations have
been attended by the women inspectors at two other centres. These
were at the Leysian Medical Mission Dispensary and the Peel
Institute. At the former, the feeding experiments with Glaxo, carried
out. by Dr. Newman during 1907, were continued for part of 1908.
This experiment is referred to below. When it was discontinued,
meetings for weighings were held each Wednesday by Mrs. Greenwood.
The meetings at the Peel Institute were held on Tuesdays. Their
object was to take the place of the "talks to mothers" inaugurated
by Miss Cox, the Finsbury Social Workers' Health Visitor. The
offer to continue these was made by Miss Gardiner, of the Peel
Institute, and was gladly accepted. The Council's women inspectors
supervised the weighings. The talks were of the simplest, and always
on health subjects affecting babies, feeding, clothing, etc.. Sometimes
they were general to the mothers collectively, sometimes
individual, more often both. Each baby was weighed and a record
kept. The number of meetings held at the Leysian Mission was 48,
the average weekly attendance being 11. The figures for the Peel
Institute were: meetings, 42; average attendance, 8.
THE GLAXO EXPERIMENT.—This experiment in feeding was
carried on till the middle of November, Messrs. Nathan & Co., the
makers, kindly placing a supply of Glaxo at our disposal till that
date. The total number of children fed was 26, and the average
increase in weight per week 4 ounces. The average period over
which the feeding extended was 24.5 weeks. The total number of
children observed by Mrs. Greenwood since the experiment commenced
in October, 1906, is 68. The average increase in weight per
week has been 4.5 ounces, and the average duration of feeding, 21 weeks.