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43
The scheme as elaborated proceeded on these lines: —
Weekly returns of registered births are received from the Registrars and
indexed.
From the weekly returns of the registered deaths received from the Registrars
the deaths of infants under one year of age are extracted and indexed.
By means of the indexes the entries of the births terminating in death before
the end of the year are annotated with the date of the death.
At the beginning of the year the following; Card of "Advice to Mothers"
was drawn up and a copy of this is sent to the mother of every newly-born child
as soon as possible after the birth is notified, and by means of doctors, hospitals,
dispensaries, midwives, nurses, ministers of religion, mothers' meetings,
maternity missions, and personal applicants, also to expectant mothers.
.ST. PANCRAS BOROUGH COUNCIL.
Public Health Department.
Advice to Mothers.
The St. Pancras Borough Council find:—
(1) That a large number of infants are born before full time and die soon
after birth;
(2) That a large number of full time infants are born so feeble as to live
only a few weeks ;
(3) That a large number of infants are not suckled at the breast after
being born;
(4) That a large number of infants who are suckled at the breast for a
few weeks are weaned too early;
(5) That it is cheaper and easier to feed infants by the breast than by hand;
(6) That it is simpler and wiser to cultivate the mother's health, both
before and after the birth of her infant, and to improve the breast
milk than to supplement or supplant it by hand feeding;
(7) That the hand feeding of infants is generally unsatisfactory, always
risky, and in the summer dangerous and often fatal.
In these circumstances an appeal is made to all mothers to aid in practising
and spreading a knowledge of the following system:—
Mothering.
The health of the mother is most important of all.
The mother must cultivate her health so as to endow h sr infant with a good
constitution, and prepare herself to suckle her baby.