View report page

108
"Maternity benefit" is almost always paid in cash to the
husband where he is insured; in few cases does the Insurance
Committee retain a part of the benefit to make direct payment
either to the midwife or to the Maternity Hospital. While, in
some cases, where the woman has made a direct application and
explained that her husband would abuse the benefit, the money
has been paid to her on her application, abuse of the benefit money
is unhappily very common.
THE WORK OF THE OFFICIAL AND VOLUNTARY
HEALTH WORKERS.
Miss Aldridge reports that:—
During 1913, 639 infants were visited shortly after birth;
43 of these were visited by the Voluntary Health Visitors. These
visits were followed by 762 revisits.
These visits were appreciated, and often much needed; particularly
is this so in the case of hand-fed infants; for, although
there is much to be done to improve the condition of the naturallyfed
infant, there is even more to be done for the hand-fed ones.
Their food is generally carelessly mixed, and not gradually
strengthened as the child grows older. It is only by carefully
watching these infants and rousing up the mothers' interest in
them, that we can get more intelligent care bestowed on them.
The work of trying to improve the conditions of infant life
is being very much helped by the present Mayor, who has kindly
arranged for a grant to be made to us from the London Medical
Charities Fund. This money is being used to supply nourishment
to carefully selected cases of the poorest mothers with young
infants. It is relieving an urgent need, and is being very much
appreciated.
It is often very difficult for these women to obtain sufficient
nourishment when their infants are very young. The father may
be temporarily out of work (sometimes through illness), or
working only part time, owing to bad weather; and, when, added
to this the mother is requiring extra rest and nourishment, the
conditions are not favourable for the rearing of a healthy naturallyfed
infant.