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88 mortality in childhood.
Health Visiting.— Up to the beginning of August the Department was unable to visit
any of the new-born children and the work was in the hands of the School for Mothers. In
August the Council retained the services of Miss Sullivan, the School's Visitor, on behalf of the
Department, the School making new arrangements for its work.
Up to the end of July the School's Visitors "visited" 988 new-born infants, making
altogether 4,050 calls. Of the children visited 832 (83.3 per cent.) were reported to be breast-fed,
90 (9.0 per cent.) artificially (cow's milk), and another 21 (2.1 per cent.) on patent foods, while 37
(3.8 per cent.) were having a mixed diet. The method of feeding of 18 (1.8 per cent.) was not
recorded.
From the beginning of August to the end of the year 1,078 infants were visited, the calls
made numbering 2,115. Breast-feeding was reported in 955 instances, artificial in 82, and mixed
in 41. The proportions of infants receiving each form of diet were:—
Breast, 88.5 per cent Artificial, 7.6 Mixed, 3.8
The live births notified during the year numbered 2,781 and the infants visited 2,066.
The date at which the first visits were paid varied from the 11th day after birth onwards.
No analysis has been made of the ages of children found to be fed at the breast, but the subjoined
statement of the ages of the other children will serve to indicate approximately the intervals
which elapse between birth and the first visit.

Among the children visited after July, 35 were known to have died before the end of the
year—that is, at ages 0-5 months. Of the 35 children dying, 22 were found to be breast-fed
when visited, 10 artificially, and 3 were on a mixed (breast and bottle) diet. The 35 deaths
were equivalent to a mortality of 32 per 1,000 children visited, that among the breast-fed being
23, that among the artificially fed, 122, and that among those on a mixed diet 73. In the whole
population the infantile mortality at ages 0-5 months was equal to 66 per 1,000 births. The
35 deaths included 13 due to diarrhœ, 9 to respiratory diseases, 7 to premature birth, 3 to
atrophy and debility, 2 to congenital syphilis, and 1 to tuberculous disease. Eleven of the
deaths occurred in public institutions, including 9 in the Infirmary.
Two "Consultation Centres" for infants under one year old were maintained last year by
the School for Mothers, which were attended by 582 infants with a total attendance of 3,377.
In comparison with 1912, the children attending show an increase of 112, and the attendances
of 472. Since July, 1913, a special centre has been open for children over one and under school
age. The centre was open on 7 occasions, 33 children putting in 58 attendances. There can
be no doubt about the value of this new centre, and it is hoped that it will develop into a
popular and useful institution.
In reporting on her work, Miss Sullivan draws attention to the frequency of very young
children sleeping with the parents—a fruitful cause of overlying. She found long tube bottles
in use in five instances only, but, on the other hand, more than half the children had