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15
is likely to have any effect. At once it may be said that all these conditions are
such as are capable of amelioration by means at the command of a Public
Health Department.
Most of these infants, as a matter of fact, died largely as a result of want of
care on the part of the mothers. With care, many of the 113 babies who died
of developmental diseases or because born prematurely, might have been saved ;
with care, a considerable proportion of the 39 babies attacked by bronchitis or
pneumonia, might have been protected from or tided over the attack ; and so
with the 35 victims to diarrhoea, the 15 who died of infectious disease, and the
13 who were suffocated.
For several years now, the Council, in addition to carrying out the general
measures of sanitation which are referred to throughout this Report, have been
carrying on work having as its object the prevention of mortality amongst
children from the conditions named.
A staff of three women inspectors were, during the year 1909, engaged day
after day in visiting the houses, especially in the poorer districts, where babies had
been born. Their duty at these visits is to advise the mother as to the care of
the babies, and as to the care of their own health. They give details, printed
and verbal, with regard to the feeding of the babies, and their clothing ; and
when the babies are sick, advise as to the necessity of obtaining proper
treatment.
In this work a vast amount of assistance was obtained during the year, as
heretofore, from the Health Visitors of the St. Marylebone Health Society.
These visitors voluntarily give part of their time to visiting and re-visiting at
regular intervals a large number of babies in the poorer districts. Their advice
and counsel is of the utmost value, and their work and that of the female
staff of the Health Department has done much good and will do much more in
the future.
The total number of babies visited by the women inspectors during the year
was 2,730, and the number revisited 1,551, the number visited by the workers of
the Health Society being 526.
A part of the work done by the St. Marylebone Health Society, which
must be regarded as exceedingly valuable, is that carried out at the Infant
Consultations. These are held at two centres—one in Bell Street, Edgware
Road, and the other at the Welbeck Dispensary in Welbeck Street. They are
presided over, the former by Drs. Murrell and Murray, and the latter by Dr.
Eric Pritchard. At them babies are weighed and mothers are advised as to