London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

Hammersmith 1915

Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health of the Borough of Hammersmith for the year 1915

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Table: The following table gives the number of births and deaths and the death rate per 1,000 births, as calculated by the Registrar-General, during the past nine years, commencing 1906, the year of the appointment of the Health Visitor.

The following table gives the number of births and deaths and the death rate per 1,000 births, as calculated by the Registrar-General, during the past nine years, commencing 1906, the year of the appointment of the Health Visitor.

Births.Deaths.Deaths of infants per 1,000 births.
19063,112430138
19073,029362117
19083,204383120
19092,995360120
19102,90632999
19112,929434146
19122,88025990
19132,951314103
19142,93527694
19152,708277102

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During the year 113 hospital letters were given for mothers
and infants to attend the West London Hospital for medical
treatment.
The education of the young mothers is an important
factor in the preservation of infant life. A healthy child can
be made unhealthy by improper feeding, whether the child
is fed by the breast or by hand.
It is important to impress on the young mothers the
necessity of having regular times for feeding, quite as much
by breast-feeding as by hand.
Feeding cards provided by the council nave been distributed
where necessary, and the mothers take great care of
them. On many occasions, the existing card, which has
become dirty from hanging up in the living room, has been
replaced by a clean one.
The Hammersmith School for Mothers has extended its
usefulness by opening another branch centre during the
year at Blacks Road.
The Women's League of Service has provided several
mothers with free dinners where they were required.
There are a great many young inexperienced mothers
who welcome the visits of the Health Visitor. Many of them
have no friends in London and are very glad to have advice
on the feeding, rearing and clothing of infants. The home
talks are very much appreciated by the mothers and in many
cases the Health Visitor has been requested to call and see
their babies when visiting in the district where they live.