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70
"Brookscroft" Voluntary Centre.—The Walthamstow Child
Welfare Society was founded by Dr. Elliott in 1914 and has since
worked in co-operation and on the most friendly and helpful terms
with the Public Health Authority.
The original intentions of the Society—"Infant Consultations, a
school for mothers and home visiting" —have long since been
exceeded and the activities of the Society include "Observation
Wards" containing 6 beds for the treatment of children suffering
from nutritional and allied disorders on the usual lines, in addition
to a special clinic for treatment by Artificial Sunlight. Some
excellent results have followed the latter under Dr. Elliott's personal
supervision. The paid staff employed for this work consists of a
Matron, Sister and three Probationers.
Among the 82 Voluntary Workers at the Centre, 32 hold the
Certificate of the Society qualifying them to take part in Clinical
work, and 11 have been working with the Society since its initiation.
All the workers are certified by Dr. Elliott as having attained a
high standard of efficiency, having been trained under his personal
supervision.
The following is extracted from the last Annual Report of the
Society:—
"The Value of the Observation Wards.—I cannot too often
repeat that these are for educational purposes. The mothers are
asked to attend regularly to see what is done for their babies.
There is no such provision at Hospitals. Infant Consultations and
Home Visiting are insufficient to overcome sheer incapability—
one of the chief reasons for the admission and long stay of many of
the babies in the Wards. The successful results obtained in the
Wards are in no small measure due to the skilled attention and
untiring devotion of our Matron, Nurse Miller.
"The Actino-Therapeutic Department.—The number of outpatient
cases receiving Sunlight Treatment during the past year
was 66, and the number of baths given 898. The 27 babies in the
Wards had 625; these babies are treated three times a week, while
out-patients are done twice. In addition to the three Carbon-Arc
and six Murray-Levick lamps installed eighteen months ago, the
Department has now a Hewittic-Levick-Ulviarc lamp, which is the
latest, and by far the best type of mercury arc lamp. Ventilating
fans and a large exit ventilator have also been added. The possession
of the mercury arc lamp makes it possible to widen the range
of treatment, and has led to considerable speeding up of the work.
"Among the cases treated were rickets, various forms of malnutrition,
enlarged glands (tuberculous and other), tabes mesenterica