View report page

40
The infant who survives, has been born, ordinarily, at or above full time, but
a very large proportion of the infants who die early have been prematurely born.
Premature birth is due to many causes which might be prevented, among others
to the employment in factories, and otherwise, of women advanced in pregnancy.
It is a frequent occurrence for the mother to work in a factory until the day before
the child is born.
The Notification of Births Act, 1907, was adopted in the Borough of Stepney
in September, 1909. From this date until the end of December, 1909, 140 births
were notified in the area specially selected for the Health Visitor.
The parents of twenty of the infants had removed before the first visit was
made was made by the Health Visitor, and nine of the infants had died.
The remaining 111 infants were visited and kept under supervision until they
attained one year of age.
94 of the infants were naturally fed, or 84.7 per cent.
6 of the infants were artificially fed, or 5.4 per cent.
11 of the infants were breast and bottle fed, or 9.4 per cent.
23 of the women were employed in factories and workshops, and 15 were engaged
in tailoring, brushmaking, &c., as outworkers in their own homes.
43 infants were breast-fed entirely for three months, 35 were six months old
before partial artificial feeding was resorted to.
In 1910, 544 births were registered in the area visited by the Health Visitor.
Of these 11 births occurred in Public Institutions outside the Borough, and were
not visited.
Of the remaining 533 births, 488 were notified under the Notification of Births
Act, or 91.5 per cent. The notification certificates were sent by the Doctors or
Midwives in attendance. A large number of the cases were attended by midwives
from the Mothers' Lying-in-Home, Commercial Road.
30 births registered by the Registrar were said to be unknown at the address
given. In several instances, incorrect addresses were probably given for the purpose
of evading vaccination.
15 of the infants had died before the first visit was made, leaving 488 births
where advice was given and particulars were obtained as to feeding, &c.
2,728 visits were made. Of these, 673 were first visits, 49 were visits in other
parts of the Borough at the request of the Almoners of the London Hospital, and
2,006 were revisits.