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Clinics.
There are two Municipal and seven Voluntary Infant Welfare
Clinics in the Borough. Sessions are held lor infants and toddlers
at all Centres. Antenatal sessions, at which a doctor is.
present, are held at both Municipal and at four of the Voluntary
Clincs. Sewing Classes are held, health talks are given, and at
some of the Centres infant foods and Cod Liver Oil preparations
are supplied at cost price.
Much antenatal work is done in the Borough.
Three of the Voluntary Antenatal Clinics arc run in connection
with the External Midwifery Practice of the Plaistow Maternity
Hospital. The two Municipal Antenatal Clinics have been well
attended during the past year; a large number of the mothers are
referred to the Clinic bv the private midwives practising in the
neighbourhood, to whom a report is sent after each examination
of the patient. Others are sent by the Health Visitors, or report
on the advice of friends who have previously received help and
advice themselves. Attendances are, on the whole, regular at
the Clinic. A "follow up" scheme was adopted in 1929 whereby
the homes of all mothers attending the Antenatal Clinics are
visited bv the Health Visitors, when advice is given regarding
preparation of the home for the confinement. An expectant
mother who fails to keep her appointment to attend for examination
on a certain date is visited at once bv the Health Visitor to
ascertain the reason for non-attendance. In this way the expectant
mothers are kept under closer supervision.
An opportunity is taken at the Antenatal Clinics to teach the
women something in the early care of infants, by instruction in
breast hygiene and suitable diet with a view to breast feeding
later. Model babv garments are displayed, and help given in the
making of such garments. This advice given
ing- pregnancy is carried out bv the mothers after confinement; it
has been noted that the mothers who attended an antenatal clinic
keep to regular hours of feeding their infants, refrain from giving
the babies dummies to suck, and in general adhere to a regular
routine in the management of the babies.
Dental.
During 19*29 three half-day sessions per week were held for
dental work amongst toddlers under 5 years of age, each session
being attended by a lady dentist. It was found that the waiting
list for dental treatment far exceeded the amount of work that
could be done in three sessions, so that children waited frequently
for many months after the name was entered on the waiting list.
To obviate this, Miss E. K. Wilson, L.D.S., was appointed a
lull-time Dental Officer (Maternity and Child Welfare), and began
work in February, 1930.
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