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58
Care of Premature Infants.
Doctors and nurses notifying births of children have been requested to inform the
Medical Officer of Health of the weight of the child at birth, and in most cases they have cooperated
in this respect. Prematurity to-day is not deemed to exist in accordance with the
date of birth of the child as compared with expected time of confinement. What matters more
is not whether a child has been born one month or two months before the expected time, but
its weight at birth, and babies are considered to be premature when their birth weight is 5½ lb.
or less.
Children who were designated as premature in accordance with the above were visited
frequently by the Council's Health Visitors, who submitted monthly reports to the Medical
Officer of Health until such time as the infant weighed 8 lb.

Child Life Protection.
This is governed by Part XIII of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936.
The duties comprise the supervision of the health and well-being of all children who
are under the care of foster mothers until such children reach the age of nine years. A register
of foster mothers must be kept with a list of children under their care, and the Local Authority
may fix a maximum number of nurse-infants who may be kept in any dwelling. Records must
also be kept with regard to removals, deaths, offences against the Act, etc. When premises
are registered for the first time, a report should be obtained as regards suitability and sanitary
condition. The District Sanitary Inspectors inspect and report on the condition of the
homes for registration purposes, the clerical staff of the Public Health Department keep the
necessary records, and the Health Visitors at the various Welfare Centres carry out the duties
of inspecting and supervising the homes, the health and well-being of the children, giving any
necessary advice, and reporting contraventions of the Act.
During the course of the year 15 women notified their intention to accept foster children,
and these notifications were in respect of 38 children under 9 years of age received during the
year, the number at the end of the year being 20.
The Council's permanent Health Visitors are also designated Infant Life Protection
Visitors, and in the course of supervision they paid 420 visits.
Daily Guardians.
At the end of the year there were 9 persons having the care of 10 children under this
scheme, and the total number of visits made by the Council's Health Visitors during the year
was 66.