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arises from its restricted character. She is, as a rule, able to pay but one visit to
each mother; whereas, for complete success, it is necessary to pay periodical visits, at more
or less frequent intervals, according to the necessities of each individual case. The improvement
in the condition of homes, and of babies, where this course has been adopted, is the best evidence
of its value, and of the advantages likely to accrue from a consistent carrying out of the plan of
continuous supervision during the early months of infant life. The Health Visitor's report for
1906 reads as follows:—
" During the year I visited the homes of 2,138 infants: 1,637 in North Kensington and 434
in South Kensington; 842 homes were revisited : in all, 2,980 visits were paid, including 77 to
mothers in the maternity ward of the borough infirmary. In 67 instances no information was
"At my first visit 1,673 infants were found to be breast-fed only, and 201 hand-fed only;
197 were partially hand-fed and partially breast-fed; 110 were improperly fed.
obtainable—the children could not be traced.
" Summary.—Of the 2,071 infants seen, 1,785 were in a robust and thriving condition, 121
were stated to have been weakly at birth, and 286 were found weakly, sick, or ill-nourished; 129
of these were being hand-fed, 51 of them improperly, and 55 of them died in the course of the
year.
"Mothers to the number of 66 appeared physically unfit to bear and rear healthy children;
47 mothers were unable to suckle their children; 23 mothers were of intemperate habits. Thirteen
of the fathers were reported to be either epileptics or consumptives. Forty-three families were
found in conditions of dire distress bordering on starvation. Eight new-born babies in these
homes were fed on bread boiled in water, etc., the mothers being too ill-nourished to nurse them,
and too poor to procure cows' milk or other suitable substitute.
" Workers.—Four hundred and three mothers admitted going out to work daily, as
laundresses, charwomen, etc.; the real number was probably larger.
"Housing.—Of the homes visited 393 were single rooms; 1,093 were tenements of two rooms,
and 508 tenements of three or more rooms. Sixty-nine homes only were in a dirty condition.
Cases of overcrowding and other insanitary conditions, were reported to the Medical Officer of
Health, and promptly dealt with.
" General.—I have almost invariably been well received by the mothers, and especially since
resuming the use of my nurse's uniform. My short talks with them are nearly always listened to
with patience and respect, and I have had the satisfaction of knowing that in many cases the
advice given has been adopted, consequent improvement in the child winning the mother's gratitude.
" My first, and too often my only, visit is paid at some period between a fortnight after
birth, and within the first two months of the infant's life. I generally find the mother absorbed in
maternal cares, and " trying to stay at home "; but soon, in very many instances, urgent necessity
forces mothers to become bread-winners, the infants being then left to the care of persons who take
them in for a living; these persons being sometimes aged and infirm—often ignorant and of a
low class, and not seldom of intemperate habits. The same circumstances operate to reduce the
number of infants breast-fed, only, at my first visit, to a much smaller number on a second visit.
"Long tube bottles.— It is satisfactory to note the decline of the long tube bottle, though it
is still used by the mother who finds it' too much trouble' to hold the child in her arms while
feeding it.
" The dummy teat.—I protest in vain against the rubber comforter or dummy teat, but the
most I appear to have accomplished is to induce the mothers to keep the thing clean. I have seen
used, as an alternative, a ' nice tasty' haddock's tail tied up in dirty muslin, or a slimy mess of
bread and sugar. As some form of comforter will be used when babies scream, the balance is in
favour of the washable rubber teat.
" Prejudice.—That' the two milks do not agree ' is still the belief of many nursing mothers,
and for this reason resort is had to boiled bread, biscuit, etc., when the breast milk is thought not
to 'satisfy.' I combat, often successfully, this delusion of incompatibility of the use of the two
milks.
" Many a lusty and well-nourished infant have I heard screaming with pain, the result of
too frequent and irregular breast feeding.