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93
It is perhaps hardly necessary to point out that in a district like Shoreditch
there is an immense field for work of this description. Much of the work is of an
educational character, such as the instruction of mothers as regards the care of
infants. This, from a health point of view, is of great importance in the Borough,
owing to the high infantile mortality, and most of the Health Visitor's time is taken
up with it. The amount of work, however, is greater than can be dealt with, and a
large proportion of the births have to go unvisited.
The following is a brief synopsis of the work done by the health visitor for the
year 1911, and will, I think, convey an idea as to the general character of the duties
she performs :—
(1) Visits in connection with births notified—1,347, of which 840 were
first and 507 re-visits ;
(2) Visits in respect of infants suffering from summer diarrhoea, 65 ;
(3) Inquiries as to the deaths of infants caused by summer diarrhoea, 41 ;
(4) Inquiries as to cases of opthalmia neonatorum, i.e., inflammation of
the eyes occurring in newly-born children, 46 ;
(5) Inquiries as regards cases of puerperal fever, 5 ;
(6) Visits in connection with consumption cases notified in women and
children—206, of which 144 were first and 62 re-visits ;
(7) Inquiries as to deaths from consumption in women and children, 13 ;
(8) Lectures on the Care of Infants, &c., 3;
(9) Interview with various persons on matters relating to the work, 127 ;
(10) The whole of the clerical work, which is no inconsiderable item, and
includes keeping the necessary records and correspondence arising
out of the work done : the number of letters written was 186.
The total number of visits made during the year was 1,996 ; but there were
a large number of futile visits, i.e., to persons who were not at home at the time
or, from some other cause, could not be seen.
The chief item of the work is that in connection with the notification of births.
During the year 3,386 births were notified ; but of these only 840 were visited,
leaving 2,546, in which no visits could be paid. Of the latter number 870 could be
excluded as not requiring to be visited, the circumstances indicating that the infants
were either under the care of medical practitioners or were being otherwise looked
after at medical missions, or were in Poor Law Institutions. There were also still-born
infants and those dying shortly after birth to be reckoned. Deducting these, there
remained some 1,593 births in connection with which visits should have been made,
but lack of time rendered it impossible.