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identified with the Clinics held on the Friday of each week.
Many of these ladies served on the original Ladies' Voluntary
Committee, and some still serve on the Maternity and Child
Welfare Committee and associated sub-committees, as will
be seen by reference to the list of Committees given in this
Report. In addition to the valuable work directly connected
with that of the Welfare Centres, these ladies collect and
administer a "Samaritan Fund" for the assistance of needy
mothers and children attending the Clinics, and help many
mothers to gain admittance to the Maternity Hospital. In
addition, the Chiswick Parochial Charities assist in a similar
manner and one cannot speak too highly of the practical
help given.
The chief work of the Medical Officer is connected
with advice as to the dieting of infants who are not thriving
or are suffering from some gastric or intestinal complaint,
treatment of disorders of dentition, and in older children
advice respecting morbid conditions of the teeth, nose and
throat.
Other common conditions seen are various skin
eruptions, naevi, catarrhal conditions of the respiratory
tract, phimosis and umbilical hernia. The Chiswick Hospital
renders us most valuable help in providing the necessary
treatment for any infants and older children we send them.
Several apparently hopeless cases of Marasmus have been
taken into this Hospital and cured. It is satisfactory to note
that there is now much less tendency for mothers to avoid
suckling their infants or to discontinue this method of feeding
for some slight pretext. Infants attending the Clinics who
are artificially fed are almost invariably those who had been
bottle-fed before thev were brought to the Clinic.