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14
The patent foods in use were the usual one, viz., Allen & Hanbury
(45), Ridge's (39), Savory & Moore (10), Neave's (10), Milo
(3), Mellin (4), Frame (4), Vienna Food (2), Wheaten Flour (1), Horlick's
Malted Milk (7), Benger (3), Biscuits, including Robb's,
Brighton, Nursery, Bath, Rusks, &c. (123), Glaxo (56), Robinson's
Mother Form of Barley (25) and others (6), whilst cornflour (2),
arrowroot (2), oatmeal (31), boiled bread (in the form of crusts,
"tops and bottoms," &c. (40), Virol (11), and Albulactin (11), and
ordinary food (4) were also found to be in use*. The 653 condensed
milks were as follows: Nestle (648), Milkmaid Brand (2), Goat
Brand (1), Ideal (1), and Tip-top (1). In 25 cases the patent foods
were in use with condensed milk.
The mothers visited are pleased to receive advice as to the
proper feeding, clothing, and management generally of their infants,
and re-visits paid have shewn that such advice has been acted upon.
The systematic re-visiting of newly-born infants is important. It
is impossible to give satisfactory statistics of the educational value
of the visiting of houses wherein births have been notified, but there
is no doubt as to the existence of such value—a result that would,
naturally, be increased by systematic re-visiting in addition to the
first visiting.
Returns of all Births (with addresses of mothers), registered
in Lambeth, have also been obtained from the District Registrars,
and this information, in conjunction with that obtained from the
Notification of Births Act, has again proved of use in connection
with the Borough Council's endeavours to lessen the mortality
amongst infants (under 1 year of age). The maximum time allowed
for birth registration is 42 days, but this delay is detrimental to
satisfactory administrative procedure, and has been altered by
the Notification of Births Act, 1907, which limits the time of
notification to 36 hours from the time of birth, though, on the
other hand, all births are not yet notified by those responsible
under the notification of Births Acts so that the supplementary
information, obtained from the District Registrar, is of use.
A list of all notified births is sent to the London County
Council weekly in pursuance of sub-section 5, of section 2, of the
Act, and the Medical Officers of Health concerned are written
to in connection with babies born in Lambeth Public Institutions
but belonging to Districts outside the Borough.
*Albumin water (4), peptone powders (1), sugar ana water (1), brandy
and water (1), Sanatogen (1), and cod liver oil and malt (1) were also found to
be in use.