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Records of Births, Deaths, and Visits.—In order to get a full and comprehensive
view and knowledge of Infant life and Infant deaths in St. Pancras,
one needs to study closely, week by week, all the Birth returns and all the
Infant Death returns.
Complete and current indexes of these have been made throughout the
year.
Further, an index has been kept of all the births attended by Midwives (as
seen in the returns from the London County Council), as a comparison of
these with the Registrar's returns has been necessary each week, so as to
avoid duplication, both in sending out Advice Cards and in paying visits.
A full index has also been made each quarter of all the visits paid ; by
reference to which I have been able to tell at once, on what date, and by
which visitor, any particular baby in St. Pancras has been seen, and to find
the completely filled-in Inquiry Form relating to that case.
Quarterly reports have also been submitted to you as to the number of
Births, Visits, Inquiries, &c.
As St. Pancras methods are more and more widely known, the daily
correspondence dealing with Infant mortality prevention, and the organization
of voluntary visitors has become increasingly large. It is thus easy to be seen
that the clerical work in connection with the Infant inquiry is now much
greater in amount and more complicated in character than it was in the
beginning.
Voluntary Notification of Births.—The voluntary notification of Births
within 2 days, which was in force for 4 months of the year 1906, did not
extend to the year 1907 ; though the practical experience gained in that short
time has since been of valuable assistance in making arrangements for putting
into effect the 1907 Notification of Births' Act, which came into force in St.
Pancras, March 9th, 1908.
However, though early voluntary notification had ceased elsewhere, the
St. Pancras Workhouse kindly continued to notify the births in their Lyingin-ward
to the Public Health Department within 2 days, and in each instance
an Advice Card was at once sent in an envelope, directed to the mother; and
this attention was appreciated by her.
It is a matter of regret that in the Workhouse (illegitimate) cases, the
Father of the child cannot be compelled to undertake the responsibility of so
maintaining the Mother that she need not be separated from her Infant
during the suckling period; and also that, where the Mother is mentally
defective, she cannot be detained, instead of being dismissed at the end of a
few weeks, only to return for her next confinement.
Infant Mortality in St. Pancras.—St. Pancras, like other Boroughs, has
reaped the benefits in the year 1907 of a favourable summer, and so,
owing to that and other reasons, is again able to shew a diminished Infant
death-rate. For judging on the same basis of births and Infant deaths, the
Infant mortality in 1904, 1905, 1906, and 1907 has been 152, 136, 131 and
114, respectively.
I am, Sir,
Yours obediently,
Blanche Gardinef,
Sanitary Inspector.