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one families, compared with eight hundred and five applications
from five hundred and eight families in the preceding
year. One thousand four hundred and ninety of the
applications were granted, an increase of seven hundred and
sixty-nine on the figure for 1937.
The milk is granted on medical grounds and the circumstances
of each case are carefully considered by the SubCommittee
dealing with this question.
In 1937 the Council decided that the scale of family circumstances
should be interpreted more generously and that
milk should be available to expectant mothers at any stage of
pregnancy. Cod liver oil and malt was also to be supplied
where necessary for nursing and expectant mothers and
children below school age.
Dental Treatment.
Dental treatment is available for children under school
age and for nursing and expectant mothers. The Dental
Surgeon devotes one session a week at the Health Centre to
Maternity and Child Welfare cases. One hundred and
twenty-four mothers and one hundred and thirteen children
under school age attended for treatment. Two hundred and
forty-three general anaesthetics and twenty-eight local
anaesthetics were administered. Where necessary, nursing and
expectant mothers are provided with dentures. Thirty-seven
dentures were supplied to mothers through the Dental
Clinic during 1938. In addition, five dentures were repaired.
A close co-operation has been established between the
Dental Clinic at the Health Centre and the Ante-natal Departments
of the Nelson and Kingston County Hospitals, who
are referring an increasing number of expectant mothers for
dental treatment.
The following table gives an indication of the work
carried out by the Dental Surgeon in connection with the
Maternity and Child Welfare Department:—
Mothers—attendances for treatment 486
„ teeth extracted 481
„ teeth filled 61
„ scalings 60
„ other operations 100
Mothers—dentures supplied 37
„ „ repaired 5
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