London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of Westminster 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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16
The superior health and low mortality of breast-fed infants in all
classes is even more marked in this year's babies than in those of 1907,
although the percentage of those so fed is less for 1908. The average
(68 per cent.) of the two years is more likely to be nearer to the truth.
For these two years the percentages in the northern part of the
City are as follows:—
Table IV.
| Number of Cases. | Mother's Work. | Mother's Health. | Confinement. | Care of Home. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy. | Delicate. | Normal. | Abnormal. | Good. | Indifferent. | Bad. | ||
| 647 | No occupation | 76.6 | 23.4 | 91.8 | 8.2 | 76.2 | 15.3 | 8.5 |
| 239 | Home work | 77.0 | 23.0 | 90.8 | 9.2 | 71.0 | 20.0 | 9.0 |
| 144 | Working out | 79.8 | 20.0 | 88.9 | 11.1 | 63.3 | 19.0 | 17.6 |
| 1,030 | ||||||||
| Number of Cases. | Mother's Work. | Mode of Feeding of Infant. | Health of Infant. | |||||
| Breast. | Partly. | Bottle. | Good. | Delicate. | Dead. | |||
| (a.) | (b) | |||||||
| 647 | No occupation | 69.7 | 11.3 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 83.6 | 11.3 | 5.1 |
| 23!) | Home work | 65.0 | 15.4 | 9.4 | 10.2 | 75.0 | 13.3 | 11.7 |
| 144 | Working out | 48.3 | 18.2 | 16.7 | 16.7 | 67.0 | 16.5 | 16.5 |
| 1,030 | ||||||||
Mothers who undertake work in addition to their household duties
appear to be a little stronger than others, but they have more difficult
confinements. The influence of other claims on their time is shown
clearly in the care bestowed on the home, in the mode of feeding
adopted for the infant, and the result on its health. That so many
mothers as 48 per cent, of those working out suckled their children for
at least six months is due to the fact that the work of a considerable
proportion, 78, of these mothers takes them out for only part of the
day, such as office cleaning, charing, &c.; 17 were engaged in laundries;
15 as tailoresses. The home-work was, tailoring for 105; dressmaking,
27; laundry work, 13; caretakers, 28; helping in shop, 29;
sempstresses, 5; keeping lodgings, 21; various, 11.
The following Table in reference to nationality also refers to the
northern part of the City for the two years 1907-08:—