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The most satisfactory cases appear to be those where the father is in
regular and fairly remunerative employment, and the mother is able to
provide herself with nourishing food, and if artificial feeding has unfortunately
to be resorted to, it can be properly carried out. The child is warmly clad,
and generally the many little details which affect health are carefully
attended to.
The contrast between such children and those whose fathers' earnings are
small and precarious, is painful and striking.
The following particulars of feeding relate to 194 newly-born babies seen
during the year. One hundred and fifty-seven were found, on the first visit,
to be breast-fed only; 17 were partly breast and partly hand-fed; and 20
were entirely hand-fed.
One hundred and fifty-nine infants appeared to be in a healthy condition,
and 35 were suffering from various diseases, or were weakly and ill-nourished.
Twenty-four of these sickly infants were breast-fed, doubtless owing their
debility in many cases to the obviously ill-nourished condition of the mother.
The mothers are advised as to what foods it would be best for them to
choose in order to improve and keep their milk. It is obvious that if all
mothers were well nourished, both before and after the birth of their children,
breast feeding would be satisfactorily continued for the natural period, and
the children would be of a stronger and finer physique, the benefits accruing
therefrom being felt, not only by each child during its lifetime, but by the
nation at large.
Care is taken to impress upon the mother the need of warm clothing.
Many people have a mistaken idea that children who are never clothed in
woollen garments will become less susceptible to cold. The lack of adequate
clothing retards development and saps the vitality and resisting power of
the young.
A final visit is paid to all mothers when the child has attained the age of
12 months. An attempt has been made to give the mothers some guidance
as to the method of feeding which should be adopted after this age. A great
number of mothers have expressed their gratitude for the advice given. It is
surprising that the mothers do not appreciate the fact that after weaning, milk
must still find a prominent place in the child's diet.
Of 218 children born in 1908 it was found that 59 had been removed
from the City before completing the first year; 145 attained the age of
12 months, and there were 14 deaths.