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94
The Needs of the Borough. During the year negotiations
have been in progress with the British Hospital for Mothers
and Babies for the provision of maternity assistance to
necessitous expectant mothers; with the local branch of the
British Medical Association for the provision of dental treatment
for children under school age and for expectant and
nursing mothers, and with the Ministry of Health for the
establishment of an additional Centre to serve the Slade
area.
Feeding of Infants in Woolwich. An enquiry was made
towards the end of the year into the type of feeding adopted
in the case of infants in Woolwich. The method adopted
was as follows:—
(a) On the card of every child under 1 year of age attending
a Welfare Centre between the 15th November and the
31st December, was inserted once, and once only, the
terms "Breast," or "Breast and Hand," or "Hand
fed.
(b) The child's age was taken on the day on which this
note was made;
(c) At the end of the period the results were summarised
for the whole Borough and the appropriate percentages
were worked out.
The number of infants in Woolwich at that time may be
taken as 3,100; the feeding of 833 was recorded, so that
the sample consists of over 25 per cent. of all Woolwich
infants. These infants of course, were all Centre children,
and it may be that these figures are not true for the Borough