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38
Visits of Instruction re Management of Infants.
During the year 1914, the homes of 616 recently-born infants were
visited by the Lady Sanitary inspector. One hundred and fifteen re-visits
were made., and there were 77 miscellaneous calls at houses in connection
with this work. During the summer months 64 cases of infantile diarrhœa
were discovered by the Lady Sanitary Inspector, and 180 visits were paid
in connection with these cases to give advice as to suitable nursing and the
obtaining of proper medical advice where necessary. All the cases made
a satisfactory recovery.
With regard generally to the Infant Health Work, it may be said that
great improvement has been effected of recent years in home conditions,
and in the care and proper upbringing of the infants. The practice of breast
feeding from birth up to 9 to 12 months of age has decidedly increased, and
all the worst features of artificial feeding, as formerly practised, have disappeared.
Separate cots for infants are now used, instead of being the
exception as in former years; and the clothing of the infants in warm and
suitable material is now generally the rule, even in very poor households.
The greatly lowered infantile mortality rate and the improved health of
the children under school age are, no doubt, largely attributable to the
sensible methods now employed by the mothers from earliest infancy in the
rearing of their babies.