View report page

116
Dirty interior walls 10
Overcrowding 5
Other matters 13
In spite of a slight increase in the infant death-rate
for the year under review, there are encouraging
signs that the general level of knowledge on the
subject of infant rearing is rising. There are fewer
long-tube feeding bottles met with; and there is
less tendency to resort to the use of patent foods
for those infants under nine months of age who
are unfortunately obliged to be hand fed.
A card of instruction on infant feeding and
rearing is sent out to every home on the notification
of a birth. In the drawing up of this card no pains
have been spared to make it as full of information
and as simple as possible, and it seems to be
generally appreciated. In the majority of cases it
is hung up, and the mothers frequently say, in
reply to a question as to how the baby is fed, that
they feed him "by the Borough Council Card."
It is to be regretted that, with the closing of the
Milk Depot, the weekly attendance at the Infant
Consultation and weighing has fallen in numbers
very considerably. I make every effort to persuade
as many mothers as possible to avail themselves
of the opportunities which the Consultation
offers of testing their babies' progress by weighing
and of getting advice in the matters of feeding
and rearing as the child grows and develops. A
great number promise readily to come, but only a
few of those who promise actually do come. The
numbers would doubtless be higher if we had mora