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16
Superintendent. During the year 209 patients from Hornsey
were admitted to the Hospital. Of these, 33 were suffering
from Diphtheria, 159 from Scarlet Fever and 17 from other
diseases.
The Isolation Hospital is in need of extension, and a scheme
is being prepared for the accomplishment of this.
Laboratory Work. — During the year 892 specimens were
examined in the laboratory of the Hospital for the Borough of
Hornsey.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
(See Tables H, J, K and L.)
It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of Maternity
and Child Welfare work both to the individual and the community.
A large amount of suffering, wretchedness and poverty
has its origin in small beginnings—in the neglect of the health
of the child. The seeds of disease sown in childhood have,
often enough, their crop of sorrow and pauperism in after years,
and it is to increase the health, efficiency and happiness of the
next generation that our Maternity and Child Welfare Work
and School Medical Services have been established, and already
the growing children are reaping the benefit of these.
It is never too early to begin to take an interest in the wellbeing
even of the unborn child, and it is interesting to observe
that the public is beginning to recognise in the science of
Eugenics a way of escape from some of the problems that
appal us to-day. A mother with one mentally defective daughter
and another who was very backward deplored to me that she
had ever had children, and stated her determination to do all
in her power to prevent her daughter from passing on this
family taint. Insanity, epilepsy, certain forms of blindness and
of nervous diseases, and possibly some other conditions are
definite contra-indications to the propagation of children, and it
is gratifying to see that the people are beginning to appreciate
this.
Ante-natal Work.—Given healthy parents, a child has a
better chance of being born well and strong; but much depends
upon the condition of the mother before the birth of the child.