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21
Of the total number (2,889) of births notified during the year
1,025 were visited by the Council's Health Visitors. In addition
770 revisits have been made and the Voluntary workers of the
Battersea Voluntary Health Society have also paid a considerable
number of visits, mainly revisits to births already visited by the
Councils Visitors. It has not been possible during 1911 to pay so
many visits to the homes from which births have been notified
owing to the resignation of Miss Fairbairn, one of the Council's
(female) Workshop Inspectors, rendering necessary rearrangement
of the work of the Outdoor Sanitary Staff of the Health Department.
The value of the work carried out by the Council's Health Visitors
in connection with the Notification of Births Act is from the educational
standpoint, inestimable, and is one of the most useful features
of the Council's Public Health Work.
During the year 1911, attention has been given to those districts
of the Borough where from the circumstances and status of
the inhabitants the services of the Health Visitors were most likely
to be of use. These localities are situate mainly in the most congested
areas of North West and East Battersea. The following is
a summary of the results of the enquiries made into these 1,025
births:—
The enquiries made had reference to the
(a) Mothers; to health and occupation of; number of children;
whether mother attended in her confinement by a doctor
or midwife; condition of the home and number of rooms
occupied.
(b) Child; condition of health at birth and nature of food
given.
As regards the mothers of these 1,025 children visited by the
Health Visitors in the majority of cases the parents were found to
be in good or fair health.
In 597 instances a doctor had been in attendance at the birth;
in 380 cases the mother was attended by a midwife. In 23 cases an
uncertified nurse or midwife was in attendance at the birth as
compared with 29 cases in 1910 and 65 cases in 1909 attended by
an uncertified person.
In the following table will be found particulars relating to
the family history of the mothers of these children and their circumstances
as regards dwelling house accommodation;—