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8
The conclusions which they have been able to draw from such
systematic visiting of 400 cases are set forth in the 2nd Annual Report
from which the following extract is taken :-
Housing Conditions.-These were bad or indifferent in forty.three
instances, the causes usually being inadequate ventilation or overcrowding.
Out of thirty.two deaths, five occurred in these dwellings,
and in twelve instances the infants were unhealthy or did not thrive.
The table below shows the relation of the housing conditions on the
death.rate of infants and on their health.
Death.rate per cent. Delicate infants per cent.
Housing bad 11.6 27.9
Housing good 7.2 10.8
Mothers' Work.-It is stated that 120 of the mothers had some
occupation. Of the infants of these working mothers, eleven died and
thirty were delicate. The high proportion of deaths and unhealthy
infants is due largely to the fact that the infants had in many cases.
to be prematurely weaned, either partially or completely, owing to the
mother's absence at work. Even when the mothers do their work at
home, it is probable that they are unable to give their infants
sufficient attention, resulting in their being fed at irregular intervals.
The mother's occupation also acts disadvantageously on the child's
health in that it prevents her looking after the infant when ill. Of the
working mothers forty.five had to prematurely wean their children, but
the fact of the mothers having to work was not necessarily the cause of
this in all instances.
The table below shows the differences in the deaths per cent., and in
the numbers of delicate children per cent, between the infants of
mothers working and of those non.working.
Death.rate per cent. Delicate infants per cent.
Working 91 25
Non.working 7.5 8.2
Mode of Feeding.-Of the 400 infants, 282 were fed by the breast
alone, sixty.three were fed by the breast for a time, varying from a few
weeks to several months, after which they were weaned and fed
entirely by the bottle, or else there was supplemental food given from
about birth, owing to the breast milk being insufficient, or to the
mother's absence during the day. In thirty.seven instances the infants
were fed by the bottle only from birth. Thus 100 were fed partly or
entirely by the bottle. No mention is made of the mode of feeding in
eighteen cases.
Kind of Food.-Boiled milk and water was the food usually given.
Artificial foods were used in seventeen cases, and they disagreed with