View report page

80
As in previous years the children are weighed and advice given
to the Mothers at every attendance.
It will be noted that the above table includes the 5th Welfare
Centre which was opened as indicated in the early part of the year.
This Centre, which started with a small number of mothers in
attendance, gradually increased in popularity, the attendance now
being scarcely less than the attendances at the older established
Centres.
Baby Week Celebrations.—The considerable local interest
which was evinced in the Council's purchase of Charlton House
and Park, encouraged the Special Committee, which was formed to
arrange the Baby Week Celebrations, to entertain there the whole
of the mothers attending the Welfare Centres to tea and entertainment
on July 23rd. It is estimated that over a thousand mothers
with some fifteen hundred children attended. Tea and entertainment
in the way of dancing displays, conjuring, music, etc., was
provided together with races and other competitions. One regrets
to have to report that the somewhat inclement weather greatly
handicapped the efforts of the members of the Special Committee
as the tea, instead of being served on the spacious lawn in front of
Charlton House, as was intended, had to be distributed inside the
house, the accommodation proving somewhat inadequate for
the large numbers which attended.
ARTIFICIAL SUNLIGHT CENTRE.
In my report for the year 1924, brief reference was made to
the proposal to establish an Artificial Sunlight Treatment Centre,
and the approval of the Ministry of Health to the proposition was
received in March, 1925.
It was considered that as an initial temporary measure, one
of the first floor rooms at Conduit House would be suitable for the
lamps. The Committee made a point of inspecting a number of
Artificial Sunlight installations at several large Hospitals and
other Centres, and as a result it was decided to install two Carbon
Arc lamps.
The Council were fortunate in securing the services of Professor
Leonard Hill, F.R.S., the eminent authority on Artificial Sunlight
Treatment as consultant, and he supervised the treatment during
the first few weeks, whilst the nurse who was appointed had already
had special experience in the duties. The lamps were first brought
into use on July 14th, and from that time until the end of the year
there were always about 200 patients regularly receiving treatment.