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9
During the past year cards on infant feeding have been supplied to all mothers in this
Borough, but owing to the lateness of registration the majority do not receive them until six
months after the birth. An endeavour has been made on the part of the Legislature to remedy
this by the passing of the Notification of Births Act. This is an adoptive Act, and the necessary
steps to put it in force were taken by this Council in October 1907. We have not, however,
received the sanction of the Local Government Board, probably because beyond the sending of
infant feeding cards we have no machinery for visiting the children's homes or giving
instructions and advice on the care of infants. The industrial conditions in Bermondsey
preclude young mothers from acquiring a proper knowledge of household and motherly duties
prior to marriage. As soon as they have left school their first anxiety is to make money, the
result being that in the five or ten years following their dismissal from school they are engaged
all day in some factorv or workshop and are disinclined to acquire any other knowledge. As a
consequence, on marriage they are entirely ignorant of the responsibilities which it brings, with
the most disastrous results to their families, if they ever have any.
To remedy this state of affairs instruction in hygiene should begin during the last
year of a girl's school life and continue more or less till the marriageable age. After marriage
instruction should be given prior to and subsequent to the birth of the child, and this is
specially important in the case of the first child. In the case of the better classes who
can afford a medical attendant, the duty of instruction is naturally undertaken by the latter,
but in the case of the poorer class this work can best be done by the sanitary authority through
the ministrations of a health visitor. Where saving of life is concerned the authority should
not hesitate on the score of expense, for, apart from humanitarian reasons, every healthy life is
an asset to the community.
There are still a considerable number of children who escape vaccination, and the
possibility of receiving any instructions by false addresses and other reasons as detailed in the
following table:—
False address given.
Removed since Registration.
Total.
House unoccupied
or demolished.
Name not known
at address given.
No such number
in street.
Removed.
1905
107
20
8
75
4
1906
18
38
144
68
20
1907
13
65
160
64
18
I regret that no steps whatever are taken by the Registrars to have those people
punished who wilfully give wrong addresses. The majority of these wrong addresses occur in
the sub-registration district of Bermondsey.
Zymotic Diseases.
The following Table gives the death rates for the principal zymotic diseases. Corresponding
figures for London are given for comparison.
Table G.
Principal
Zymotic
Diseased.
Smallpox.
Measles.
Scarlet
Fever.
Diphtheria
Whooping
Cough.
Typhus
Fever.
Enteric
Fever.
Pyrexia.
(Origin
uncertain).
Diarrhoea.
All Causes.
Year.
No.
Rate.
No.
Rate.
No.
Rate.
No.
Rate.
No.
Rate.
No.
Rate.
No.
Rate.
No.
Rate.
No.
Rate.
Rate
No.
Rate.
No.
58
87
.64
-
-
188
1.38
1897
-
-
103
-
16
.12
21.4
.62
-
2902
537
3.95
.76
.43
85
97
-
1898
2776
20.6
375
2.79
.72
30
.22
58
.43
73
.54
11
.08
-
106
.79
-
-
-
-
-
2
1899
3204
24.1
440
3.31
-
92
.69
23
.17
129
.97
43
.32
.01
31
.23
-
120
.90
-
87
1900
3062
23.2
437
3 32
-
-
.66
14
.11
88
.67
94
.71
37
.28
-
117
.89
-
-
-
1901
2719
120.8
382
2.92
14
10
76
.58
45
.34
36
.27
56
.42
22
.16
133
1.0
-
-
-
-
396
1902
2756
21.2
3.06
31
.24
154
1.19
18
.14
29
.22
64
.49
12
.09
88
.68
-
-
-
-
1903
2382
18.4
251
1.96
-
-
50
.39
25
.19
18
.14
41
.32
4
.03
11
.09
103
.80
-
-
1904
2593
20.1
444
3.44
-
136
1.05
18
.14
17
.13
68
.53
16
.13
189
1.46
-
-
-
-
-
1
.01
1905
2399
18.6
287
2.23
59
.45
17
.13
18
.14
38
.29
9
.07
145
1.13
-
-
-
-
400
-
1906
2529
19.7
3.12
94
.73
30
.23
34
.27
50
.39
4
.03
188
1.46
-
-
-
-
-
Average
for years
1897 to
1906.
4.6
.03
20.8
395
95
2732
.72
28
.21
51
61
.46
3.01
.39
0.6
.00
17
.13
138
1.05
-
-
1907
2338
18.3
1.74
-
-
51
.40
36
.28
22
52
.41
-
-
7
.05
-
-
.43
223
.17
55
6720
1.42
.00
4
.00
1510
69268
14.6
-
.00
1801
.38
London
1907
.16
644
.14
781
1786
-
.38
194
.04
.32