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expectant mothers who have attended at an Ante.natal
Clinic or for whom visits are desirable: inquiry into stillbirths
and the deaths of young children, and attendance at
the Centre to which women and children come for medical
and hygienic advice.
Table No. 47 gives a classification of the number of visits
paid by the Health Visitors during 1920 and 1921, and from
that Table it will be seen that there has been an extensive
increase in the variety and amount of work done.
Administrative action in connection with the Notification
of Births Act. As soon as a notification of a birth is received,
suitable literature is sent to the mother by post, and it is
the practice for the Health Visitor to visit as soon as possible
after the doctor or midwife leaves the patient, usually between
the tenth and fourteenth day. The necessity for subsequent
visits is gauged by what is discovered at the first, but, as a
general rule, an endeavour is made to work to the following
standard:—4 visits during the first year; 2 visits in the
second year, and one visit in subsequent years up to school
age. This is modified according to whether the baby is in
attendance at one of the Welfare Centres or not. If the
baby is in regular attendance, the necessity for home visiting
is not so urgent. It has been found as a matter of experience,
that very few mothers object to these visits and that
these objectors very often change when they find that it is
not criticism but help and sympathy which is offered.
Investigation into Still.births. During the year investigation
was made into 80 cases of still.birth. In 21 cases the
cause of still.birth was due to natal trouble, and in 3 others
the child was born macerated. 15 cases of prematurity
G