London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1908
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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40
Breastfed.
Partly
breast-fed.
Handfed.
Improperly
fed.
Total.
Found at visit paid during
lying-in periods ... ... 96 4 0 0 100 cases,
Second visit paid within 2
months of life ... ... 82 17 1 0 100 cases.
"Found at Second Visit that 21 impoverished and weakly mothers had benefited by advice and
help given re improving the quality of the breast milk, and had continued to suckle their infants
under most unpromising circumstances. The 4 mothers found partially hand-feeding their infants
had discarded the bottle altogether in favour of natural feeding only. In the 17 cases where
supplementary feeding had been adopted owing to various necessities, properly prepared cow's
milk had been the substitute used. The one hand-fed child was excellently so fed, cream and milk
sugar were being given in addition to cow's milk.
"Appended is a statement of the visits paid during the year.
| Ward. | North Kensington. | South Kensington. | Summary— whole Borough. | |||||||||
| St. Charles. | Golborne. | Norland. | Pembridge. | Total Visits. | Holland. | Earl's Court. | Queen's Gate. | Redcliffe. | Brompton. | Total Visits. | ||
| Visits | 437 | 765 | 403 | 203 | 1,808 | 131 | 89 | 99 | 91 | 61 | 471 | 2,279 |
| Re-visits | 499 | 525 | 559 | 139 | 1,722 | 76 | 37 | 61 | 12 | 19 | 205 | 1,927 |
| No information obtainable. | 167 | |||||||||||
| Total Visits | 4,373 | |||||||||||
"Infantile Mortality, 1908.—Inquiry was made in the course of the year by the Lady Health
Visitors with respect to deaths of 194 children under one year out of a total of 428 deaths at that
age period.
The deaths and the number of cases investigated in the several wards were as follows:—
| North Kensington (383). | Wards. | Deaths. | Cases Investigated. | North Kensington (168). |
| St. Charles | 86 | 45 | ||
| Golborne | 95 | 41 | ||
| Norland | 105 | 60 | ||
| Pembridge | 47 | 22 | ||
| South Kensington (95). | Holland | 26 | 10 | South Kensington (26). |
| Earl's Court | 22 | 3 | ||
| Queen's Gate | 13 | 6 | ||
| Redcliffe | 25 | 6 | ||
| Brompton | 9 | 1 |
"Method of Feeding (194 cases).—Suckled 67, partially breast-fed 23, hand-fed 90, no information
14. Of th2 hand-fed infants 21 were found to be improperly so fed and 36 had been weaned
within the first month of life.
"By reason of premature birth, debility and other pre-natal causes 60 infants were weakly born.
"Eleven of the cases investigated were illegitimate children and 12 infants suffered through
obvious neglect.
"In 32 instances one or other of the parents was in bad health, and 18 mothers were discovered
to be in a semi-starving condition.
"Fifty-three women went out to work as laundresses, charwomen, &c., and 24 worked up to
the week preceding confinement."