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district inspectors. These surveys are referred to later in this report, but it may be
said here that rapid visits were paid to a large number of streets and premises during
the summer, and all conditions which called for immediate attention, e.g., dirty yards,
collections of refuse, &c., were immediately dealt with.
Information as to cases of diarrhoea.—The chief sources of information of cases
of diarrhcea in the district are the voluntary and official workers and the consultations.
The work at the consultations is closely followed by all the workers who attend
regularly, and attention is directed to any case requiring special visits.
No opportunity is lost of warning parents as to the seriousness of diarrhœa, and
of advising as to what steps should be taken.
To sum up with regard to the course of action adopted to prevent diarrhœa and
child mortality generally, it may be said that every effort is made by personal
visitation of notified births, to instruct mothers as to the causes of infant deaths, and
to show them how to counteract these causes ; this work is carried out by the women
inspectors, the voluntary workers of the St. Marylebone Health Society and at the
consultations; special instructions are given with regard to diarrhcea; by means of
sanitary surveys, house to house inspections and other visits, nuisances are sought for
and when discovered removed; refuse removal is carried out three times or oftener
per week in those districts in which infantile mortality is highest; stable refuse is
removed three times per week and street cleansing and watering are regularly and
frequently done.
The work referred to above has steadily increased in amount year by year for
some years, and has undoubtedly played a great part in the marked reduction in the
infantile mortality from 147'6 per 1,000 in 1901 to 109'8 in 1911, the summer of
which was one of the most inimical to infant life on record.
In the following table (V) the information elicited at visits paid to notified births
is tabulated.
Births Investigations—The enquiries made at the visits paid to homes in which
a birth had occurred were similar to those made in former years. The facts elicited
were also much the same.
The number of infants found to be fed on condensed milks was somewnat higher
than in 1910, the reason being that during the excessively hot weather when fresh
cows' milk did not keep well many mothers resorted to the tinned varieties.
Infant Deaths.—The tables (VI and VII) following contain particulars of the
investigations made into cases of deaths of infants under one year of age. The
number of such investigations is considerably higher than in 1910, the work in
connection with infants in 1911 being more completely organized and receiving more
attention than in the previous year.
The contents of the tables are similar to those in Tables VI. and VII. in the
report for 1910; methods of feeding, health of mothers, nature of mothers' work, and
housing being inquired into.