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Public Health administration, e.g., Medical Inspection and Treatment of
school children, Tuberculosis, Venereal Diseases, Infectious Diseases
generally, etc. In fact, there is hardly any branch of Public Health
work with which the subject is not directly or indirectly connected. It
is easy to see, therefore, that in order to obtain good results the closest
co-operation is necessary between this and other Departments, and also
between the several Committees.
At present the bulk of the work in Deptford is of necessity carried
out at the various Infant Welfare and Ante-Natal Clinics, supplemented
by home visiting. It embraces consultations with the doctor and
nurses, keeping of records, talks to mothers, clothing demonstrations,
and the provision of milk, dried milk, medicines, etc., either at cost price,
free, or reduced price, according to the circumstances of the mother. A
lot of good work has been and is being done, as a visit to any of the
Clinics will demonstrate, but much more is required if the efforts just
enumerated are to be followed to a logical conclusion.
Two things are urgently required, viz., a Maternity Home where
expectant mothers having no facilities or accommodation at home, or
whose home conditions are unsatisfactory, or where some difficulty is
expected over the confinement, can be admitted and receive skilled
nursing and treatment during the confinement period. Secondly, an
Observation Nursery for premature, ailing, or ill-nourished babies
requiring careful feeding and management is a real necessity, and could
be established and worked in conjunction with the Maternity Home.
The Ante-Natal Clinic could with advantage be held at the Maternity
Home.
A Treatment Centre, which could also be established along with
the Maternity Home and Day Nursery, is a further requirement
which, if provided, would be capable of doing an immense amount
of good. Here babies and children suffering from minor ailments
would be sent from the out-lying Welfare Clinics as out-patients
for treatment of such ailments as sores, discharging ears, rickets,
etc. At the present time most of these cases are only seen once
a week by the doctor, and however willing the mother may be
in such cases to try and get her child well, yet in the majority
of cases not having had any training and not properly understanding
the principles of the treatment advised, her enthusiasm soon
lessens and improvement occurs only slowly. Of course, it might be
urged that such cases could attend as out-patients at the General
Hospitals in the neighbourhood, but it has been found that continuity of