View report page

23
Under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1874, section I., it is the
duty of the father and mother, and in their default of the occupier of the
house, and of each person present at the birth or in charge of the child, to
give information of the birth within forty-two days, but no penalty is
incurred by any person other than the parents if it be not given within three
months. the case of a death the time is limited to five days, and no stillborn
child is permitted to be buried without the written certificate of a
registered medical practitioner, or a prescribed form of declaration, or an
inquest. (Section 18.)
Under the Notification of Births Act, 1907, it is the duty of the father, if
residing in the house, and of any person in Attendance upon the mother within
six hours after the birth, to give notice of the birth within thirty-six hours
after the birth. This practically means giving notice within two days.
Thus it will be seen that the effect of the adoption of the Act of 1907 is
simply to reduce the delay in the notification of l irths from weeks and months
to days, as practically the same persons are required to give notice as under
the Act of 1874.
The organisation for helping those that most require and desire help is
already in existence in St. Pancras, which is in this matter some years ahead
of most other Boroughs. This organisation, under the guidance of the
Medical Officer of Health, consists of a Woman Inspector assisted by a number
of ladies acting as Voluntary Visitors, part consisting of professional women
and part of women philanthropists. Since the autumn of 1905 there have
been some 21 Women Philanthropists intermittently working for various
periods, and 14 Professional Women working more regularly and for longer
periods, about half of whom have since obtained public appointments.
The procedure is to send to every mother an advice card and only to visit
the poorest mothers in the poorest houses of the poorest streets. I have been
personally thanked even by well-to-do fathers for the advice cards, and the
Voluntary Visitors have always been made welcome by the poor mothers to
whom they have tendered personal advice and assistance, or to whom they have
directed the attention of charitable associations and institutions for assistance.
In illegitimate cases the kindly assistance of sympathetic women has been
much appreciated, and I have never known any infringement of confidence,
any resentment of advice, or any refusal of offers of assistance. But the
number of illegitimate cases is infinitesimally small as compared to the
legitimate. Inspector Gardner, the Woman Inspector, who closely supervises
the work of the Voluntary Visitors, reports most encouragingly of their
cheerful reception and of the friendly exchange of confidences with mothers,
and the death returns tell their own story of the steady diminution of the
infantile mortality.
In addition to this, in the spring of last year an Institution was started to
supplement the work of the Borough Council—the St. Pancras Mothers' and
Infants' Society, supported by Voluntary Contributions and Voluntary
Workers, with a paid Woman Superintendent at its School for Mothers, 6 and
7, Chalton Street, Somers Town. The number of ladies who do voluntary
work in connection with this institution is growing, and experienced philanthropists
are giving both money and service to a scheme which they do not