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The above table is of interest, and is chiefly remarkable for
the big fall in the number of deaths from Prematurity, though,
as intimated earlier in this report, it is lamentable that so
many deaths should still occur from this cause (see p. 11†).
During the past five years the work of the Maternity and
Child Welfare has been consolidated and co-ordinated with
other Health Agencies to a remarkable degree. The combined
toil of many workers on behalf of the mothers and babies is
now beginning to bear fruit. The one-time resentment of the
young mother to any sort of advice respecting her child has
disappeared. Though hard things are still said in respect to
the Health Visitors by some ill-informed persons, in most
homes in this Borough they are welcome visitors, and daily at
the Town Hall there are enquiries from people seeking their
help.
The need of more dental treatment is very essential. I am
informed by my School Dentists that much of their time is
spent in trying—often ineffectually—to remedy the ravages to
the child's teeth caused by ill-attention before school age;
further, much of the distress and ill-health caused by enlarged
tonsils is attributable to non-attention to the teeth during
infancy. A definite system for the supervision and treatment
of infants' teeth is sadly needed, and also, though to a lesser
degree, some scheme for the care of the mother's teeth.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Committee have obtained
the sanction of the Ministry of Health to appoint a new Lady
doctor, and to establish a new Municipal Ante-natal and Infant
Welfare Centre in West Ham Lane. In the very near future
both these things will be accomplished, and a further important
step taken towards safe-guarding the health of pregnant
women, and of helping mothers to bring up into healthy and
useful citizens those children whom they have gone through so
much to bring into the world.