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103
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
"The pamphlet containing advice on the feeding of infants is
in every case handed to the mother on our first visit and many of
them tell us on our second visit they have found the instructions
very helpful.
"Where the infants have to be reared by hand we were glad to
find that very few long tube bottles are now used.
"586 mothers used the boat shaped bottle when resorting to
artificial feeding, 42 only used the tube bottle, 28 mothers used
both the boat and tube bottles and 34 mothers fed their infants
with a spoon.
"The use of dummies is still very common, on many instances
the mothers tell us they have started the practice on the advice of
the midwife or nurse, though the baby did not like it. Other
mothers seem to think that though the rubber teat is harmful, one
made of some celluloid composition is really hygienic.
"We found on our first visits that 1,390 of the mothers had
not begun to use the comforter, but 1,672 were using it. On our
second visits 431 had discontinued its use, but 131 mothers had
begun its use since our first visit.
"With regard to the employment of midwives, we found
1,596 out of the 3,337 mothers we visited had employed their
services. 13 had been attended by un-registered midwives. In
nearly every case these were neighbours or relatives called in in an
emergency.
"The sanitary defects found in the homes during our visits
to the mothers have been remedied, or if requiring structural work,
referred to you.
"76 intimation notices were served and four statutory notices
Were required,"