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may be said that the provision of skilled advice will create further
demand for service of the skilled adviser. Again I hope so, as from
experience one sees how much can be done to prevent trouble at the
confinement, and how much more easily these things can be done
by one who makes it their special vocation. Further if a person
with a reputation in this particular class of work is conducting the
Clinic, mothers will come with less reluctance, in fact with keenness
because of the reputation of the Obstetrician concerned.
We are gradually passing through a new stage in which it is
gradually dawning on the mothers that the disabilities—pains,
back-aches and various other things which are regarded as almost
part of their everyday life as a result of a family, are not their
normal lot, but unfortunately it is difficult to make the men folk
understand—unless they are medical men—how much can be done
and how important is the doing of it.
During the year under review, a number of psychological cases
have come under my notice, mainly in chidren. As an example,
a batch occurred showing the different types one has to deal with.
In one case, a child about 3 ½ years was brought with the following
history. Three months before she was quite alright one day and
the next day was crying, and used to cry in her sleep. Nothing
special could be gathered from the jumble of words, but "Mother"
was constantly occurring. By this time she was eating hardly
anything at all, and was steadily losing weight. Her weight had
been 35 lbs. 2 ozs. four months before, and 34 lbs. on the first date
when seen, 33.8 lbs. the following week. One day, the mother
having gone out, came back and as she put it "thought the whole
of Isleworth was out in her street." The child was rushing up and
down the road screaming. It appeared that the child had been
refusing to allow the mother to go out, and screamed whenever she
had, with the result that the mother had been practically unable to
go anywhere without the child. The child was ralher a quiet type
and was the only child in the family. After two confidential