View report page

60
the children who survive, showing deformities due to rickets, or various
forms of mental and nervous diseases resulting from improper nutrition
and care during infancy".
"Until the end of the year we were seriously handicapped in any
attempt to improve the unhealthy conditions under which many infants
exist. To begin with it is absolutely essential that we should be in possession
of the knowledge of every birth that occurs in the Borough with
the least possible delay. Repeated attempts have been made to obtain
this information, and in January, 1904, I applied to the local Registrars
of Births for the necessary returns, upon payment of suitable fees. The
Registrars were, I believe, willing to supply the information provided
they received permission from the Registrar-General, but this permission
was witheld, the Registrar-General stating that he saw "grave
objection to the proposal that Registrars should furnish a detailed return
of births to the local authority, and that he had uniformly declined to
approve such an application." In consequence of this decision we were
unable to adopt any useful and direct measures towards reducing the
mortality from preventable disease amongst infants, but could only
revert to the useless action of making enquiries and giving advice after
a death had been recorded. Even supposing that the advice proved
useful in future births it was absurd to advise parents of their errors
after their loss". This difficulty was resolved towards the end of the
year after some correspondence with the Registrar-General who eventually
agreed to authorize the local Registrars to furnish all Sanitary
Authorities who desired them, detailed returns of births on payment of
similar fees to which registrars were entitled for detailed returns of
deaths.
This obstacle having been overcome, another presented itself
immediately because it was proposed to employ the woman sanitary
inspector to visit a selection of homes from the birth list supplied by
the local registrar each week. This course was objected to by the London
County Council who paid a contribution towards the inspector's salary,
as they considered that visiting homes where births had occurred was not
included in the list of duties approved when the inspector was appointed.
After consultation with the then Local Government Board a course,
not explained, was adopted by which this technical difficulty was
overcome.
To summarise the information available at the end of 1904 the
following causes were in great measure responsible for the high infantile
mortality:—
The increasing unwillingness of mothers to suckle their offspring;
Inability to suckle child when mother is the bread-winner;
Ignorance of mothers in the elementary principles necessary for
successful artificial feeding in regard to suitable foods, the
methods of preparing same, frequency of feeding, and the
amount required;
Absence of cleanliness in the home; Uncleanly personal habits;
Unhealthy environment of infants, due to overcrowded, badly-
lighted and badly-ventilated rooms;