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(14) Provision of milk at a reduced price for
necessitous mothers and their children.
1. Notification of Births.—2,808 notifications of living
and 89 of still-born children were received under the
Notification of Births Act, 97 per cent. of the births
registered in Fulham being notified. Of these 2,220,
or 77 per cent. were notified by midwives, 614 by
medical practitioners and 63 by relatives. In addition
to the above 147 births were notified from outlying
institutions. The births which have been registered
but not notified are reported by the Registrars, and the
attention of the doctors or others is drawn to their
neglect to notify; but as there is[a divided responsibility
with regard to notification, no prosecutions have
been instituted.
2. Visitation of Mothers and Babies by Health
Visitors.—The Scheme provided for the appointment
of two additional Health Visitors, making four in all,
and Miss Becket and Miss Perrett were appointed and
commenced their duties on May 12th, 1919. The
following is a summary of the work of the Health
Visitors in connection with notified births.
First visits to Infants 2647
Re-visits 5839
Visits to children—aged 1-5 years 620
3. Attendance of children from infancy up to school
age at Consultations held by the Assistant Medical Officer
of Health.
In April, 1919, Dr. Flora Murray, Assistant Medical
Officer of Health for Bethnal Green, was appointed
Assistant Medical Officer, to take charge, under the
direction of the Medical Officer of Health, of the
Maternity and Child Welfare work of the Council. Dr.
Murray commenced her duties in May, but was, unforfortunately,
owing to the breakdown of her health,
compelled, a few weeks afterwards, to resign the
appointment, and Dr. Ruby Thomson, who had been
employed in a similar capacity at Willesden, was
appointed to succeed her. Under an arrangement
made with the Committee of the Fulham Maternity