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the effect is far from lasting. When the Health Visitor visits a
mother she must endeavour to make this visit more in the light of a
friendly than of an official one. To compass this, they must be
prepared to enter into general conversation with the mother and
make sympathetic enquiries into the condition of the home, and
the difficulties the parents have to contend with, etc., and find out
where the mother really needs help. All this takes time and if the
effect is to last this first visit should be followed up by others.
The same remarks apply to Sanitary inspectors though in a
somewhat less degree since the Sanitary inspector is not so immediately
concerned with the family. If an official Health Visitor
does her work conscientiously the Committee has no occasion to
rely solely on large numbers. On the other hand if an official is
not conscientious and desires to make a good show, it is very easy
to do this though doing no real solid work.
The total number of births which took place in Bermondsey
last year was 3,482 and of these 3,293 were notified under the
Notification of Births Act, 1907.
The difficulty in getting the whole of the cases notified still
continues, even in spite of the special letters, mentioned in the last
report, sent out to doctors and parents. The latter are constantly
confusing the Notification of Births with the Registration. I
get dozens of letters every year in reply to those special letters
stating that they have registered the child and consider that they
have done their duty, when this is accomplished. I cannot comprehend
why the time for registration is not shortened to, say, seven
days, in which case the Notification Act itself would be much more
complete. Ido not see any prospect of ever getting a complete list
of births from the Notification of Births Act, and the only fault
with the registration is that they are given far too long an interval,
namely six weeks, before it is necessary to register. This enables
people to change their residence and escape vaccination.
Of the 3,293 births notified, 2,391 received primary visits,
and 512 secondary visits. The whole of the former were breast
fed, and as this is the rule in Bermondsey, I may repeat here the