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23 per thousand, and that of the 142 smaller towns 31 per thousand, and that
of London 16 per thousand, whereas that of St. Pancras fell 3 per thousand.
Similarly, in the hot dry summer quarter of 1911 just concluded, the infantile
mortality of St. Pancras was 11 per cent. below that of London, although in
ordinary times the mortality of St. Pancras is usually the same as that of
London, i.e., an average of ail London. Again proving the value of the breastfeeding
campaign at a period when many other Metropolitan Boroughs had
also adopted the same course.
In November, 1904, the first "Restaurant de Meres-Nourrices" was opened
by Henry Coullet in a little shop in the Passage Julien Lacroix at Belleville
in Paris, but this new departure did not become known in Great Britain
until -Miss Evelyn Bunting's letter appeared in the Times of the 29th December,
1905, and in 1906 dinners for Nursing Mothers were started in Fulham
by Mrs. Gordon. About this time Dr. Miele was adding to his Dispensary
for Nursing Mothers in Ghent the teaching of puericulture or infant care,
with which educational method the Hon. Mrs. Bertramd Russell was so favourably
impressed upon her visit there. Ultimately, in June, 1907, the St. Pancras
School for Mothers was opened, and organised by a combination of these various
activities centred round the mother. British and Foreign Institutions differ
in one important particular—British Institutions do not treat sick mothers
and children but refer them to their own medical attendants. Is is the maintenance
of the health, and the improvement of the domestic education of
mothers and their children that is the aim of the British Schools for Mothers.
It has been found that the organisation of a complete school should be such
us to provide:—
(a) Periodical medical consultations (weighing and hygienic advice)
for both nursing and non-nursing mothers and their infants.
(b) Cheap nourishing dinners daily for mothers suckling their infants.
(c) Periodical instruction and demonstration in the arts of mothercraft
at the school and at home.
(d) Association with the Day Nursery and Nursery School, which
should be so conducted as to provide:—
(i) Daily scrutiny of each child by the matron, supplemented by
medical opinion, when necessary, to protect the institution from
infectious diseases and contagious disorders.
(ii) Periodical medical inspection and hygienic advice for the
prevention of physical defects.
(iii) Training the functions, habits, senses and reasoning powers
of children according to age, and familiarising the mothers in the
methods adopted for training.
(iv) Visits to the homes to improve the home hygiene and
surroundings.
(v) Regulations as to the admission of infants under six
months of age so as to avoid giving encouragement to premature
weaning.