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The conclusions drawn from he statistics of St. Pancras, and now corroborated
by those of London, were "that in order to diminish infantile mortality
it is necessary to ameliorate, firstly, the pre-natal conditions, and, secondly,
the post-natal conditions, and that efforts should be first exhausted upon the
mother before confining attention to the infant," and in this spirit the
preventive scheme was conceived.
Then followed an elaboration of the preventive scheme sketched in the
previous Report, which was then being put into operation.
On the 5th of June a Conference on the Prevention of Infantile Mortality
was held at the Town Hall. This Conference, welcomed by His Worship the
Mayor, Alderman Frederick Purchese, J.P., M.A.B., and presided over by
Councillor Dr. R. M. Beaton, L C.C , Chairman of the Public Health Committee,
was attended and supported by a large number of expert and leading
men and women, including Sir William Broadbent, Sir Lauder Brunton,
E. R. r. Moon, M.P., Professor Herbert Spencer, Mrs. Scharlieb, M.D., Miss
Vaughan, M.D., Mrs. Fleming, M.I)., a considerable number of medical
officers of health, ministers of religion, medical practitioners, ladies engaged
in social work, nurses, and others.
At this successful Conference the following resolutions were discussed and
carried:—
A.—Morn eks.
1.—That it is desirable that every encouragement should be given to
prospective mothers to seek advice as to the management of their
health so that they may endow their offspring with good constitutions
and prepare themselves to suckle their infants when born.
2.—That it is desirable that all efforts should be exhausted upon improving
the health of suckling mothers before devoting attention solely
to their infants.
B.—Bkeast-Feeding of Infants.
1.—That it is desirable that births should be registered within five days
of their occurrence as is required in the case of deaths by the Births
and Deaths Registration Acts, and be not delayed for six weeks and
longer as now by law permitted.
2.—That it is desirable that the municipal authority should obtain weekly
returns of births from the registrars.
3.—That it is desirable that the municipal authority should send to the
addresses of all mothers, furnished in the weekly returns, cards or
leaflets of advice, laying greatest stress on the improvement of antenatal
conditions, on the preparation for and maintenance of breast
feeding of infants during the first nine months of life, and strongly
advising mothers not to wean their infants prematurely except upon
medical advice.
4.—That it is desirable that women inspectors should be appointed with a
view to the prevention of infantile mortality by selecting from the