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copies in the card-index. It is hoped to continue to post up the cards as far
us possible until the children reach the age of five years, and to establish
similar indexes in future years. In all, the 12 trained visitors (4 part-time)
at the centres made, during the year, 16,984 visits to 1,557 infants. The
total number of visits to young children (apart from measles, etc.) made by
all the trained visitors at the Town Hall and the centres was therefore 19,937;
though, in adding together the number of children visited (viz.: 1,239 and
1,557) to a total of 2,796, it is not possible to state precisely how many are
common to the two groups, having been visited by both set of visitors. (The
effect on the figures of this overlapping is, however, lessened, by the circumstances
that the number of children visited from the University College
Hospital centre, not being supplied, is omitted). The number of notified live
births for the year was 3,121. The visitors at the centres also made 1,622
visits to 752 expectant mothers referred to them by the Medical Officer of
Health from lists supplied by the institutions referred to above. The same
method as to case-cards was used in this work as in the case of births, and the
same cards were used by the two sets of visitors. In all, therefore, 2,011
visits were paid to 929 expectant mothers, the latter figure, however, being an
over-statement by reason of some of the expectants being visited by both the
Town Hall visitors and those at the centres.
Maternity and Infant Welfare Centres.—The work done at the 13 centres is
set out in the table on the next page, including the home visiting referred to in
the foregoing paragraph, as well as the attendances at the consultations. The
figures are supplied by the centres. It will be seen that in all, 1,698 new
children under one year of age attended during the year, or 51 per cent. of
the total births for the year (3,318), and that 16,264 total attendances were
male by children under that age. 2,602 attendances were made by children
over one year, and there were 157 children over that age who attended during
the year for the first time. In this connection it is interesting to record
that at the Argyle Square Centre, and also its branch at Falkland Road,
special monthly consultations were instituted in the course of the year for
children over 18 months old. The mothers of children of that age on the
books of the centres are invited, by post-card, to bring up their children by
special appointment to these consultations, so that the children are medically
examined every three months, or more often if necessary. This system
affords the necessary link between the consultations for young infants and the
subsequent medical inspection of school children.
754 attendances were made by expectant mothers at the ante-natal consultations
held at the centres, 373 expectants attending during the year for the first
time. These figures are exclusive of the 1,437 attendances made by expectant
mothers at the Obstetric Deparment at University College Hospital, where 970
new cases attended during the year.
These attendances were made at 790 infant consultations (739 in St. Paneras)
which were held during 1918, and 9 for children over 18 months only;
and 317 ante-natal consultations (including 100 each at University College
and the Royal Free Hospitals). At certain of the consultations, particularly
those at Passmore Edwards Settlement, University College Hospital, and the
Royal Free Hospital, residents in neighbouring boroughs are also dealt with.
The figures in the table, however, apart from accidental inclusions, refer to
St. Pancras residents except where otherwise stated.