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29
The work this year, has however, differed in two respects from previously:—
1.—Regarding Advice Cards to Mothers. Since the Notification of Births
Acts came into force in St. Pancras, in March, 1908, this Advice
Card has been sent to each mother within a few days of the birth,
instead of being delayed for several weeks, until the birth had been
registered, by which time it was often received too late for it to be
possible for some of the instructions to be carried out.
2.—Regarding the visits to Mothers. In previous years a certain number
of the most suitable cases for visits (as indicated by the class of street,
and occupation of father) were selected, each week from the birth
registrations, from all the divisions of St. Pancras. But this year
our attention has been chiefly confined to one particular district—
Ward VI., including the poorest part of Somers Town, and every
home where a birth has occurred in this district has been visited.
Thus every mother and baby have been seen at least once, and often
several times, in order that our sympathetic advice might be offered
to the mother; and also that on our part an inquiry might be made,
as to the health and occupation of the mother both before and after
her confinement, and as to the health and mode of feeding, &c., of
the infant. This special inquiry has been carried on in St. Pancras
during the year in order to assist in a general wide-spread inquiry
suggested by the Secretary of State on the subject of the employment
of women before and after child birth.
As for this purpose it was thought desirable that the inquiry should extend
"over a period of 12 months (thus necessitating a visit at the end of 12 months),
it is obvious that the babies born during the year 1908 could not be re-visited
at a year old, until during the year 1909, and that therefore the complete
summary of this investigation for the Home Office does not come within the
scope of this present annual report.
However, the tables as to the mode of feeding of the babies visited as ascertained
on the primary visits, are here given on the same basis as those of
previous years (see Tables A and Al), and in addition, at your request, tables
compiled from a completed 12 months' history of the feeding, &c., of infants
born in the first quarter of 1908 are also included (as an addendum to this
report), though part of the inquiry work that it entailed was in reality done in
the year 1909 (see Tables I., II, III.).