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(2) A woman, recently confined, was sent to the London Hospital. The C.O.S.
paid the cab fare and supplied food to the family.
(3) Convalescent treatment was applied for on behalf of a delicate mother with
the first baby. This was granted but the mother refused to avail herself
of it on account of the illness of her baby.
(4) In one case, the father was out of work and the baby had died from Pneumonia
before the Health Visitor made her first visit. Nine children out of 14
had previously died. At the time of the visit, two children aged 5 and 3
were suffering from Whooping Cough, and were in need of nourishment.
No assistance was given.
(5) In another instance, where the father was out of work and the mother was
very delicate, assistance was refused. The baby was wasting and four
children out of a family of seven had died.
(6) Assistance was also refused where the mother was consumptive and the baby
wasting.
(7) The home had been sold to get food, and on March 7th, when the Health
Visitor called, the family was without fire and food. The baby had not
been washed as there was no fire to boil the water. The baby was in a
fairly good condition. No assistance was given.
(8) The baby had died before the Health Visitor called, and three children out
of a family of four had died before they were a year old. The case was
reported to the C.O.S., but the mother objected to answer the questions of
the officer of the C.O.S., and made quite a different statement to what
she had made to the Health Visitor. No assistance was given.
12 cases were referred to the Stepney Mothers and Babies' Welcome, 5 were
granted free dinners and 7 were not assisted. The husbands were unemployed in
every instance, the mothers were poorly nourished and the babies were suffering
from Marasmus or wasting.
(1) The baby weighed 64 lb. only when he was a month old. Free dinners
were granted to the mother. She partook of one only and then stayed
away. Shortly afterwards she resumed work.
(2) The mother resumed work on the third day after her confinement. She
had previously lost three children from wasting. She was granted free
dinners for two months, and then left the neighbourhood.
(3) One woman went once to the Mother's Welcome, and then stayed away
Three of her children had died from wasting.