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138
A very large proportion of the mothers of Woolwich have
husbands at the Front, and the consequent anxiety and
mental distress have in many oases an adverse effect upon
the infants. A nursing mother should be guarded from
emotional strain, but it is impossible in the case of women
with husbands at the Front; many of them can get no
reliable information as to whether the men are alive 013
dead, and a great many are already widows. It is abundantly
clear that no effort to safeguard the health of the
mothers and babies can be relaxed at this time. On the
contrary there is need for new enterprise in this direction.
One new departure has been started in the Borough since
the War began. A school for mothers under the name of
the River Ward Babies Welcome, has been initiated by
voluntary effort. It works in oc-operation with the Public
Health Department, and aims to reach a class of mothers
who will not come to the Municipal Infant Consultatson and
amongst whom the infant death-rate is high. Its present
premises are at 103, High Street, Woolwich, formerly the
Pier Tavern,
Dust-hole." An Infant Consultation is held there
weekly conducted by Dr. Helen Saxgeant, of Camberwell,
and there are sewing classes and health talks by the Superintendent
(a trained and salaried worker). So much for the
post-natal work.
It still remains to deal with the ante-natal period and to
safeguard the health of pregnant women. In such way
only can we prevent the loss of infant life before and immediately
after birth. We have no statistics of the number
of miscarriages and still-births which take place annually;
but Dr. Armaund Routh, a recognised authority, estimates
the number at 100,000 for England and Wales. That is to