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The Health of Barking
If that were the whole of my story it would be pretty grim, but I beg to assure
everybody that we are doing a great deal in this matter, even though the question
is not an easy one.
What we do in Barking is to undertake an ante-natal supervision which can be
spoken of as intense from the very first time the mother comes to us when she is
pregnant, and this intensive ante-natal supervision is stepped up towards the end
of pregnancy. Not only do we do this, but we also arrange ante-natal clinics in
such a way that the resident obstetricians of the Barking Hospital, who will have
to deal with any abnormality if it arises, do in fact take the ante-natal clinics during
the latter weeks of pregnancy.
Vitamins.
When once Mary had got the right idea into her head there was no need to
taik to her any more about it. She was one of those practical people, who, when once
she had commenced with the right thing, kept on doing it. There was nothing about
cod liver oil, orange juice and vitamin tablets that she didn't know about, so far
as public provision is concerned, and she took on trust the reliable information she
had as to their value.
I had a chat one day with Mary as to why so very many mothers didn't avail
themselves of these special food substances. Quite frankly, Mary didn't understand
it, and nor do I.
There is what is known as the London Division, a name which is applied
by the Ministry of Food, and in this Division there are some 95 towns. It is quite
common, when we have a report on the question of the way in which these various
towns take up the special vitamins, to find that Barking is pretty well down the list.
For orange juice Barking comes about fortieth. For cod liver oil about thirtieth
and for vitamin tablets about twentieth, and indeed there are no less than 15 towns
who beat Barking all along the line. Some people would be satisfied that they are
a bit better than the average, but theold motto, " the best is good enough for Barking,"'
still stands, and I would like to see these food substances taken much more than
they are at the present time.
So far as orange juice and A and D vitamin tablets are concerned only a little
more than half the people take them, and with regard to cod liver oil, it is even less
than half. What is difficult to explain is that what are commonly known as the
'' better off " places do better than we do, e.g. places like Barnet and Beckenham,
which come toward the top of the alphabetical list, and Wood Green, which, of
course, comes towards the other end of the alphabetical list.
I was discussing this matter with an officer from the Ministry one day and this
officer said that in his opinion it was because the people in these other areas were
better educated. I'm afraid I was rather angry because quite frankly I don't
believe people in these other areas are on the whole better educated than the mothers
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