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MORTALITY OF CHILDHOOD. 45
In Table 32 the mortality for each age recorded in the Wards of the Borough since 1906
are given, distinguishing the sexes. The violent fluctuations in the figures are explained by
what has been written above. Such a table as the last will attain much value a few years
hence.

Child Rearing.—The record of the efforts made during the past year towards limiting the
mortality of infants would be very incomplete if no mention be made of the work done by
the visitors of the Health Society. While the Staff of the Department (Women Inspectors
and students) visited the mothers of 1,007 children, the Society's workers visited those of
949 children, making a total of 1,956 children, equivalent to 62 per cent. of the births
registered during the year. Speaking generally the visits are so welcomed (refusals of advice
were less than 4 per cent.), and the progress of the children visited so satisfactory, that it is
much to be desired that more work should be done in this direction.
The calls paid by the Staff of the Department numbered 2,048, and those by the paid
Visitor of the Society (3 days a week) 1,679. While the calls of the voluntary workers
cannot be stated exactly, they may be estimated at 1,000, making a grand total of 4,727, not
including calls which were useless owing to false addresses, removals, etc., estimated at 300.
It has already been stated that the first visit is most conveniently made at some time
during the 3rd or 4th weeks after the confinement. An analysis of the ages of the infants
at the dates of the first visits show that 323 (16.5 per cent.) were paid before the infant was
three weeks old, 961 (49T per cent.) when the infants were aged from 3—8 weeks, and 672
after that age.
The methods of feeding at the time of the first visits are recorded, but hitherto it has not
been the practice to note changes in feeding, date of weaning, etc. This has been due in part
to the fact that only a (comparatively) small proportion of the children can be re-visited.
As soon as the work can be extended to include more re-visits, more attention will be given
to these important details. Of the infants under three months old, 80.7 were breast-fed, the