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19
Sanitary condition of homes : —
Thirty-two of these 1,316 homes were found to be very dirty
and 230 showed evidence more or less of uncleanliness. These
figures, it is satisfactory to note, show a very considerable improvement
as compared with those of 1909 (vide Annual Report
for 1909), when of 1,110 homes visited in connection with births
notified to the Medical Officer of Health, 71 were found to be very
dirty and 314 showed evidence more or less of neglect of cleanliness.
As regards the child : health at birth :—
Of the 1,316 infants visited at their homes the condition as
regards health was ascertained to be as follows :—
231 were at the time they were visited more or less seriously ill.
Of these 1,316 infants information as to the feeding was obtained
with the following results :—
Breast-fed only 1,130
Infants Milk Depot 63
Cows' Milk 66
Breast and other food 43
The above figures, it will be noted, appear to point to the
satisfactory conclusion that the great majority of infants born
in Battersea are breast-fed. As most of these children are visited
by the Health Visitor within the first month, usually within the
first 14 days of life, it is found that at the first time of visiting
the great majority of them are being fed on the breast alone.
Subsequently this breast-feeding was found to have been discontinued
for various reasons, e.g., failure of breast milk, mother
going out to work &c., or supplemented by artificial feeding.
The form of artificial feeding employed has been found to be condensed
milk, the brand most popular being Nestle's. The patent
foods do not appear to have been much in evidence amongst the
children visited by the Health Visitors, probably due to the cost.
Owing to the attention given to the matter by the Health Visitors
and to the printed cards of advice sent out, and probably also to
some extent to the educational influence of the Milk Depot there
is a growing tendency noticeable to use cows' milk in place of the
condensed article.
The visits of the Health Visitors continue to be much appreciated
by the mothers, and their advice and kindly counsel acted
upon as shewn by subsequent visits, to a most gratifying extent.