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105
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
"Of the 117 illegitimate infants visited, 27 were removed and
could not be traced as the particular guardians had removed
when re-visited, while 16 mothers came into the Borough only to
be confined, the majority of these cases being in Tooting. Of
those mothers from whom we could not get any information,
31 were not natives of this Borough.
"At the first visit 69 infants were wholly breast-fed, but of
the 48 re-visited only 12 were so fed.
"20 of those visited died, 10 from Diarrhoea and Enteritis,
three from Marasmus, three from Inanitior, three from Pneumoria,
and two from Whooping Cough.
"Table LV. shows the number of re-visits, and the method
of feeding then found, the average age at the second visit being
from four to five months.
"The proportion of infants entirely breast-fed on the first
visit is somewhat higher than in the previous year, being 81.6 per
cent, as against 79.8 per cent, in 1910. The number of those
having milk or food in addition is very nearly the same, the proportion
of those being fed on breast and cows' milk showing a
percentage of 43, this being the same as 1910, those fed on cows'
milk alone were 30 per cent, as compared with 33 per cent, in
1910, and those fed on condensed milk 15 per cent., compared with
17 per cent, in 1910.
"On our second visit we again found a slight increase in the
proportion of those wholly breast-fed, the percentage being 63,
compared with 62 in 1910. We also noted a decrease in the use
of farinaceous foods, while the proportion of those fed on cows'
milk and condensed milk is almost the same as in 1910.
"The pamphlet that we distribute containing advice on the
feeding of infants has been much appreciated by many mothers,
in some instances we have found it has been treasured from the
first year in which we visited the mother, and was being used for
the second or third baby. 321 mothers told us that they were
following the instructions contained in it .