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38
The average attendances for the various Centres are as
follows:—
Hammersmith Infant Welfare Centres 44
Latymer Mission 33
College Park Centre 27
Thornfield Road 35
At all these Clinics mothers are given advice on the
upbringing of their children in good health by proper feeding,
&c., and the prevention of malnutrition and disease.
The children are seen by the Doctor when they first attend,
and as far as possible at regular intervals afterwards.
Health talks are given and attendance is encouraged for
the sake of acquiring knowledge in child welfare.
In North Hammersmith the infants are fairly well
nourished, but many are markedly anaemic. Pickets
occurs rarely, and when it does so it is mild in type. This
is probably due to the far greater possibility of obtaining
sunlight in the north than in the south. The provision of
free or very cheap cod-liver oil no doubt is of great assistance
in this respect. The chief problem is that of the
very high rents and the resultant insufficiency of money
left for food.
In north-east Hammersmith, more especially in the
Latymer Eoad area, bad housing, lack of air and sun
coupled with ignorance and prejudice, are the chief difficulties
to be overcome. This probably accounts for the
high infantile mortality rate in this ward of 104 per 1,000
births.
In Central and South Hammersmith mild rickets,
anaemia, malnutrition, chest conditions and the so-called
common cold are still too frequently seen in children who
attend the Centres.
Many children and mothers who attend the clinics in
South Hammersmith have derived much benefit from the
Massage and Remedial exercise clinic held twice weekly
at 48, Glenthorne Road.
During the year 77 cases received massage treatment,
the total number of treatments being 1,007. There is a
very long waiting list and it is probable that an additional