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34
partly on assumption. This is due to the circumstance
that mothers book for their confinements
with a great variety of midwifery agencies, quite
unconnected, and obtain their ante-natal care either
partly from the agency with which they have booked
and partly from the borough ante-natal clinic or
wholly from one or the other, while other mothers,
including those who have booked with no one until
the last moment, presumably get no ante-natal care
at all.
Another matter which came to light is the difficulty
of obtaining precise comparative data with
regard to toddlers. This mainly arises from the fact
that over three years of age (and now even younger)
it is doubtful how much of the toddler population
can be regarded as available for welfare centre
attendance owing to the increasing number who
attend school. Although there has been a welcome
closer contact between the maternity and child
welfare and the education authorities upon school
entrance, this necessarily leaves many gaps, through
which the special needs of these children may be
overlooked. It must be frankly confessed that it is
somewhat of an anomaly for two public authorities
to be catering, in quite different ways, for children
of approximately the same age. It would greatly
simplify matters if some practical arrangement for the
medical and dental supervision of toddlers could be
reached between the London County Council and the
London Borough Councils.
NOTIFICATION OF BIRTHS.
During the year, 996 live births were registered
in the Borough ; and 1,034 live births were notified to
the Medical Officer of Health. There were also 31
stillbirths notified. Of the 1,065 living and stillbirths
notified, 111 were found to relate to other districts
and were duly transferred, 760 were notified by midwives,
121 by maternity assistants of the London