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below that of the average for the neighbourhood. In 1913, the
Albany Day Nursery was opened, and it has been undoubtedly the
means of improving the conditions under which the children are cared
for. The Goldsmiths' College and Miss MacMillan's Home are also
doing good work in this direction.
Other allied conditions may also be put down as contributory
causes to the wastage of child life :—(1) The unhealthy condition of
the parents, particularly the mother. Young girls frequently, before
being married, lead most unhealthy lives. Instead of taking as much
open air exercise as possible, and eating plain and wholesome food at
proper times to develop all the normal functions of the body, they prefer
spending their spare time in stuffy houses, picture palaces, etc., where
conditions are far from satisfactory. Especially does this apply to those
employed in factories or close workshops during the day time. Again,
sweets often are taken in place of a good meal, and it is noticeable,
particularly when young girls go out to the factories, money so earned
instead of being spent on good food, is used in finery and other trashy
things. When a girl gets married, the course of training up to marriage
has been so useless that the same helpless methods are carried on during
the early years of married life, leading to bad nutrition and deficient
staying power, with the result that when a call is made upon the system
these weakly subjects either do not go to their full time, or a debilitated
human being is added to the present generation, to die in a few days,
or it may be months later, from failure of the mother to carry out
her proper maternal functions. (2) The want of care exercised by the
mother during early motherhood, tending towards or causing this general
debility. (3) The irregular habits of the father before marriage.
PREVENTION OF INFANT MORTALITY.
Maternity and Child Welfare Work.
Dr. Win. Scarisbrick's report is as follows, in which 1 concur: —
As was expected, the Maternity and Child Welfare work in the
Borough has developed greatly during the last twelve months, and there
is every indication that it will develop further still in the near future.
The field it embraces is an ever widening one. and as the tremendous
import.nice of the subject to the community as a whole has become
more fully realised, it easily ranks as one of the foremost social
problems of the day.
As a foreword it is necessary to emphasize how closely related
Maternity and Child Welfare work is to other subjects embraced under
B 2