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39
II.—Medical.
The following are the reports of the Medical Officers of the
Borough Council's Infant Welfare Centres on the cases attended at
the Centres during the year 1917:—
1. Brooksby's Walk Infant Welfare Centre.
During 1917, 416 infants and 49 children have been brought to
the Centre. There have been 2,283 attendances in all.
Of the 416 infants, 102 were breast-fed up to three months,
190 up to six months, 28 partially breast-fed, and 67 artificially fed,
while in 23 the method of feeding was not ascertained.
During the year, 18 of the children attending the Centre died
from the following causes:—
Wasting, eight cases (all of these were artificially fed, and only
attended the Centre a few times); tubercular peritonitis, one;
diarrhoea and vomiting, three; congential syphilis one (this was
suspected but did not attend long enough to verify); menigitis,
two; whooping cough, one; pneumonia, one; undetermined, one.
In 10 cases, the children were artificially fed; in six cases,
breast-fed; in two cases, they were over two years old. These are
highly suggestive figures, though not sufficient in number to
warrant any definite deductions being made.
Very many of the children have required attention in regard
to dieting, and minor ailments, and the results have been quite
satisfactory. There have also been several cases of more severe
indisposition—five of true marasmus, i.e., cases of wasting, where
no signs of disease could be found. All five did remarkably well,
though it was some time before the food which suited them best
was found.
In three of the cases, Mellin's Food was of the greatest
advantage, and I am indebted to Messrs. Mellins for a gift of 12
bottles of their food to be given to mothers unable to afford it.