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30
THE PREVENTION OF INFANTILE MORTALITY.
An additional Woman Inspector was appointed in September, 1904, with the
duty, amongst other duties, of paying special attention to infantile mortality,
and the welfare of mothers and sucklings. She lias her work initiated by the
births, instead of by infectious diseases, complaints, and premises to be
periodically inspected, and makes inquiry into, and advises as to the feeding
of babies and sucklings, in addition ascertaining the condition of the dwelling
house, of the mother's workplace (if any), an i of the milk and other food
supply, so that the Public Health, Factory and Workshops Act, and Food and
Drugs Acts, respectively, may be put into force at the proper time and place.
In December, 1904, I reported upon Infantile Mortality to the following
effect: —
1.—The first point is the recognized fact that the general death-rate is
decreasing, but that the infantile mortality-rate, or the proportion of deaths
of infants under one year to one thousand births, during the same period is not
decreasing, but on the contrary is either stationary or is showing a tendency
to increase in the most populous localities.