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44
The Medical Officers of Health were reminded by the
Secretary of State that the two main objects of the inquiry
are:—
(a) To determine the effect of employment of women
before and after childbirth on the health of the mother and
child.
(b) To guage the social and economic effects which
further restrictions on the employment of women in
factories and workshops before and after childbirth would
entail: in particular whether such restrictions would or
would not have indirect effects prejudicial to infant life
either by adding to the economic burden of child-bearing
and thus leading to a further fall in the birth-rate, or by
increasing the poverty of the household and so—through
worse feeding, &c.—lead to an increase in the infant
death-rate.
Although one is desirous of assisting in so useful an
inquiry we are handicapped in Lewisham by reason of not
having in force within the district the Notification of Births Act,
1907, or the staff of health visitors who could collect the
information.