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107
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
"We have the honour of submitting to you a report of
our work among infants during the year 1910.
"We had the help of seven voluntary workers at different
times throughout the year—five for periods of three months
each, viz.: March 1st to May 31st, March 9th to June 2nd,
June 2nd to August 18th, June 8th to August 30th, and
October 3rd to December 30th; one from September 14th to
October 20th, and one from November 17th to December
22nd. With this additional help we were enabled to extend
our work to every part of the Borough, as will be seen from
the subjoined Tables. Out of the total number of visits, viz. :
6,874 (which included re-visits and ineffectual calls), 3,504
were paid by the voluntary workers (Clapham, North, 247;
Clapham, South, 147; Putney 74, Streatham 281, Balham 246,
Tooting 556, Southfield 467, Fairfield 170, Springfield 555,
and 761 ineffectual visits).
"The total number of visits paid after notification and
registration of births will be found in Table LIV., which also
shows the method of feeding at the first visit, and the number
of ineffectual calls.
"With regard to the Notification of Births Act, which
came into force in this Borough in November, 1909, we have
found considerable difference in the number of births notified
in the various Wards. For instance, nearly every birth
among the poorer classes in the Springfield Ward of Wandsworth
was notified; consequently we were able to visit those
infants at an earlier date than those in other parts. Bearing
this in mind, we should like to draw your attention to the
number of deaths in that Ward during the year, which you
will see is higher than that of any other part of the Borough.
The analysis of the causes of death we give below.
"79 of the infants visited died during the year, their age
in months at death being shown in Table LVI. In Clapham,
North, five deaths occurred—two from Broncho-pneumonia,