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treatment is essential to success, and where ailing babies and children
have been prescribed for at one of the Council's Infant Welfare
Centres, the cases should be followed up, daily if necessary, by the
original practitioner who saw the case.
Day Nurseries constitute another important branch of Infant
Welfare work. At these places mothers who are compelled to leave
their homes and to go out working and have no one in whose charge
they can leave their babies, are allowed to leave one or more of their
infants during certain hours of the day, and these children are looked
after and fed by a trained staff.
The following Clinics are held once a week at present
Monday, 2 p.m.
Gosterwood Street Mission Hall.
Tuesday, 10.30 a.m
Napier Street Mission Hall.
Special Ante-Natal Clinic.
Napier Street Mission Hall.
2 p.m.
Wednesday, 2.30 p.m.
Erlam Road Church Institute.
Thursday, 2 p.m.
Goldsmiths' College.
2 p.m.
Hales Street Mission Hall.
Albany Institute.
2 p.m.
Friday, 2 p.m.
Besson Street Mission Hall.
All the Maternity and Infant Welfare Centres in Deptford, with
the exception of the Albany Institute and Hales Street have been
established by the Borough Council, whilst even at the latter centre one
of the Council's Health Visitors attends and assists in the supervision
of the work there.
Of the other centres or clinics there are at present two kinds to be
differentiated, viz., Maternity Centres and Infant Welfare Centres.
The Maternity or Ante-Natal Centre is held once a week at Napier
Street Mission Hall, and its main function is to advise expectant
mothers in matters relating to their health, primarily in regard to
condition directly associated with pregnancy, but also as to general
ailments which indirectly affect their physical welfare.
The women frequently come of their own accord, or are sent by
doctors, midwives, health visitors or referred from an Infant Welfare
Centre or other institution.
For the establishment and maintenance of a satisfactory Maternity
Centre one or two points may be detailed as most important if the work is
to be successful. First, the atmosphere with which the work is conducted
must be one of cheerfulness, encouragement and help. No
internal examination should be conducted without the full consent of
the patient, and only when necessary in her interests.