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24
PART II.—SPECIAL SUBJECTS,
MATERNITY AND INFANT WELFARE.
The annual statistics in regard to births and deaths of infants are given on
pages 10-13 and 17-19 of this report.
The ordinary work of the department in regard to births reported under
the Notification of Births Act has been continued, an advice card being sent
to all the mothers , and home visiting being done by Miss Smith, Sanitary
Inspector and Health Visitor. Owing to the smallness of our female visiting
staff only a small proportion of mothers have received personal visits.
Expectant Mothers.—A start was made in the department at the end of 1914
in the direction of work amongst expectant mothers. From that time the
authorities of University College Hospital, Middlesex Hospital, the New
Hospital for Women, and the Maternity Nursing Association have furnished
the Medical Officer of Health with the names of those St. Pancras expectant
mothers who have arranged with them for attendance at confinement.
Miss Smith undertook the visiting of some of these women, and the names of
the others were forwarded to the various voluntary maternity centres according
to their place of residence for visiting by the staffs of the centres. In
this way a considerable number of expectant mothers were brought under the
influence of visitors for appropriate advice and assistance. They were also
urged to attend periodically at one of the maternity centres, to be interviewed
by the doctor in attendance and advised in accordance with their varying condition.
Certain cases were referred to the Soldiers and Sailors Families
Association and to the Invalid Kitchens Association.
A card of advice for expectant mothers has also been drawn up by the
Medical Officer of Health, and supplies of these cards are kept by University
College Hospital, Middlesex Hospital, and the Maternity Nursing Association,
one card being given to every St. Pancras expectant mother when she attends
to arrange for confinement.
The work done by the department during the year by the departmental
staff in connection with maternity and infant welfare is indicated by the
following figures:—
Total births (excluding still-births) notified 3994
Still-births notified 137
Advice cards sent to cases notified (on receipt of notification) 3994
Advice cards sent to cases registered but not notified (on
receipt of Registrars' returns) 400
Cautionary letters sent to cases registered but not notified 400
Visits—No. of births visited 980
Additional visits 1073
Total visits to mothers with infants 2053
No. of expectant mothers visited 235
Additional visits 46
Total visits to expectant mothers 281
Extra visits (to Maternity and Infant Welfare Centres,
Hospitals, Mid wives, etc.) 460