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12
There is no doubt that this work has been attended with very
great benefit to the infants and their mothers.
Many of the mothers display the most absurd ignorance as to
the proper methods of feeding and clothing their children—the
majority, however, seem to be most anxious to learn and improve
their knowledge.
Many of the school children in the district have, through the
courtesy and kindness of the head teachers, been allowed to knit
vests for the babies. These vests are afterwards sold at cost
price to the mothers, and given gratis to those who cannot afford
to pay.
During the eight months, 1,171 births, of which roughly onethird
were first babies, were visited, and in conneation with
these, 2,549 revisits made subsequently.
Many of the children were found to be wasting, and to be
improperly and insufficiently fed. Some were ill with measles,
hooping cough, rickets, chronic ophthalmia and convulsions.
Others were neglected or unsatisfactorily looked after, owing to
the death of the mother, the poverty or ill-health of one or both
parents, and in a few instances owing to the birth of twins.
livery effort was made to remedy the evils discovered. The
mothers were carefully instructed in the feeding of the young
ones and shown, by actual practice, how best to dress and wash
them, the dangers to avoid, and how to treat the commoner
ailments.
Vests, clothes, olive oil, lime water, feeding bottles, and in
some cases food, were provided for the children. The expense
of these details was defrayed by the voluntary gifts and subscriptions
of various religious and charitable societies.
The children who were wasting or acutely ill were sent into
homes, nursing institutions and childrens' hospitals for treatment.
In a few cases where the parents were guilty of persistent
or continuing neglect or cruelty, after due warning and ample