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babies as soon as possible after birth, to advise the mothers
regarding the welfare of their children, and to help at the child
welfare centres. In addition to the three health visitors, the
Council has recently appointed a whole-time midwife, who already
has begun to do very useful work in the poorer parts of the
Borough.
Centres.—There are two maternity and child welfare centres
in the Borough, one in Brook Road, Campsbourne, and the other
in Wightman Road. A part-time lady-doctor, Dr. Shepherd,
attends at Brook Road Centre on two days in the week and at
Wightman Road Centre on one day in the week. She sees ailing
children and gives advice to the mothers, and her work is greatly
appreciated among the people. An ante-natal clinic, at which
advice is given to pregnant women, was started in the autumn
of the past year; another lady-doctor supervises the work at the
ante-natal clinic, and is paid for her services by voluntary subscriptions
collected from the mothers who attend at the centres.
Besides the clinical work done at the centres, much instruction
is given to mothers. Classes are held in sewing and in other
useful branches of domestic art, and the health visitors and
others give lectures. Occasionally social evenings and tea
parties are given, and the centres are justly popular among the
classes for which they are provided.
Voluntary Workers.—It would not be possible to do so much
good work at the centres if we were not helped by a number of
voluntary workers. These ladies devote much time to their
valuable work, both at Brook Road and at Wightman Road, and
it is largely owing to their unselfish labour and untiring activity
that our Maternity and Child Welfare work has been so successful
during the year.
Future Extension of Work.—The Maternity Committee is
aware that there is need for the extension of our activities, and
the subject has been discussed at length during the past year. It
was felt, however, that, in view of the economic situation, any
extension of the work at the present time would be undesirable.
The Committee recognises that there is a real need both for additional
sessions at our two centres and also for a third centre to be