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midwifery and health visiting as well as the State
Registration for general nursing. To obtain these qualifications
the nurse must give some five arduous years of
training to full time study. There are not many
professions that require this length of training.
The value of home visiting to the baby and mother
after the midwife has completed the confinement cannot
be over-estimated. The young mother, who would
otherwise be left to the unguarded advice of well meaning
but misguided neighbours, welcomes her visits and
follows her expert advice, and the result is to-day that the
knowledge of baby-craft has advanced probably more
rapidly than any other branch of medicine; the mother
herself is more skilful and more well-informed and the
young baby given not only a greater chance of life but
a hope of health and happiness. Our " Sarah Gamps "
have gone, our infantile mortality rate has fallen from
120 to 27 in a short period of 35 years, and life is happier
because the dreadful fear of baby death has been so
greatly reduced.
Appendix XII. sets out in detail the statistics of home
visitation in the six areas apportioned between the health
visitors. The aggregate total of home visits amounted to
9,683. This figure includes 1,431 " ineffectual " visits, so
classified as they do not in all respects make a substantial
contribution to child welfare and mother-craft, e.g., visits
where the family is found to have removed, where no
answer is received, or where visits meet with no
appreciation.
There were 798 births (live and still) known to have
occurred in Bromley during the year 1935. Some 159 of
these babies were transferred out of Bromley after the
completion of confinement and therefore did not come
under our own maternity and child welfare scheme.
Taking the number of primary visits to the newly born,
together with enquiries into stillbirths, it will be found
that visitation to no less than 80 per cent. of all births was
accomplished during the year.
The health visitors made 630 effective primary visits
to the newly born, and it is satisfactory to note that the
welfare centres record no less than 489 new enrolments of