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12
and inherited diseases; the people themselves being described as made
up of "loafers, cab runners, beggars, thieves and prostitutes." The whole
district was described in 1893 as a West End Avernus. The death rate in
the area was 55 to 60 per thousand, and the infantile mortality rate was
appalling, reaching 508 per thousand in 1899, at the time when the
London average was 150.
At the beginning of the century, Kensington with a population
of 173i000, had a death rate of 19•4 as opposed to the present death rate
of 10•55; an infantile mortality rate of 179 as opposed to 21.1 nowadays.
Deaths from infectious disease numbered 403 per annum as compared with 14
in this age and 306 people died of tuberculosis as compared with 20 at
the present time. It is significant that the deaths under the age of 5
were approximately one-third of the total deaths, the present proportion
being approximately one-twentyseventh.
An enormous number of children died from gastro-enteritis and
dysentery, starvation, want of breast milk and prematurity. In fact, in
1900, 113 children under one year died of diarrhoeal diseases and 26 died
of non-pulmonary tuberculosis. The value of the subsequent cleaning up
of milk supplies is reflected in the 1956 figures - in place of these 139
deaths there was only one.
In 1904, the Metropolitan Water Board took over the responsibility
for London water from the many separate undertakings then existing.
The London School Board, who had previously appointed two halftime
medical assistants to examine defective children, in 1902 appointed
a full-time medical officer with assistants to investigate health conditions
in the schools. At this time conditions were appalling. The vision of
60,000 children was so bad that they could not see the blackboard; there
were 20,000 cases of ring worm and one-third of the girls had verminous
heads. The London County Council took over responsibility from the London
School Board in 1904, and commenced the school health service as we now
know it.
In 1905, the Kensington Council appointed a lady to act as a
Health Visitor, and in the same year the Kensington Health Society was
established to care for the welfare of mothers and children. The first
Infant Welfare Centre was opened in Kensington in 1907 and, by 1909, the
Society was holding weekly infant consultations in the Norland and Golbome
Wards, providing nursing and expectant mothers with dinners at the cost
of Id. and had established St. James Nursery. In 1908 the Home Science
Department of Kings' College for Women (now Queen Elizabeth College) was
founded largely for the purpose of helping to combat the terrible rate of
infantile mortality. This Department was first housed in Kensington Square,
the Campden Hill site being acquired in 1912 and the Department transferring
there in 1915. The first "School for Mothers" was established in
Lancaster Road towards the end of 1910, and during 1911 three further
schools were in being, having developed from the previous consultation
centres. At these there were provided consultations, baby weighing,
sewing classes, lectures on infant care, medical consultations, cooking
classes and penny dinners for nursing and expectant mothers. A Health
Visitor was in attendance. By 1919 there were seven of these voluntary
"Schools for Mothers" and two baby clinics in addition. By 1920, the
"Schools for Mothers" had been redesignated Infant Welfare Centres and to
the existing facilities had been added ante-natal sessions, treatment
sessions, thrift clubs, baths for mothers and dental treatment. In all
this work and in most important work which was to follow, a pioneering
and vital part was played by Dr. H. Ronald Carter who, I am pleased to say,
is still living in the borough. It was he who, under Dr. Fenton's
administration in 1924, was mainly responsible for operating the Council's
scheme for the treatment of cases of infantile enteritis. At this time
the disease caused up to 100 or more deaths among infants each year,
representing anything between 10 and 28 per cent. of the total deaths under
one year of age. The disease was made locally notifiable in 1924 and the
Council's scheme of treatment included provision of home nursing, home
visiting, advice, the services of a doctor where none was attending, hospital