View report page

7
All that has happened to it since is that some Mayor's
1 Committee
faint-hearted suggestion was made that the subject for
Necessitous
should be referred in its entirety to the Mayor s Comchildren,
mittee for dealing with Necessitous Children. It was
thought that the scope and objects of that fund could
be enlarged so as to provide and include this matter
of Infantile Mortality. What will ultimately come
out of the proposal cannot even be guessed at as yet.
The only thing certain is that the present constitution
of the Mayor's Fund Committee for Necessitous
Children can only be varied with the consent and
approval of the existing members, and this suggestion
of tacking on to that Committee the dealing with
this Infantile Mortality problem has been so far
received with a frigidity creditable to a high-class
refrigerator.
These three memoranda contain all the important
Special
Memoranda,
data bearing on the question and are as follows:—
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
Memorandum by the Medical Officer of Health re the
Conference with the Bethnal Green Health Society on
the 20th April, 1910.
We have carefully considered the proposals of the Health
Society, and are of opinion that the arrangements suggested
are not feasible. It is absolutely essential that the whole
district should be covered, and that the voluntary workers
should be under the direct control of this Authority.
The original visit after a birth must, of course, be made by
the Official Health Visitor, Miss Harris, but much benefit
would result if this visit could be followed up by some one who
would get into friendly relations with the mothers, and see that
the instructions given are faithfully carried out.