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15
in Fulham, as compared with 35.0 in the County of London,
but it should be noted that although owing to climatic conditions
the diarrhœal death-rate in 1906 was 10 per 1,000 higher
than in 1905, the infantile death-rate from all causes was
9 per 1,000 lower.
Lists of the births in the Borough attended by midwives
are now received weekly, and these returns in 1906 comprised
1,873 births, or nearly 40 per cent, of the total number. The
homes of these mothers were visited by Mrs. Davies, the
Sanitary Inspector, who gives verbal and printed advice, and
takes steps to remedy insanitary conditions.
Experience, however, shows that to be really effective the
visiting must be frequent, but with only one person, who has
many other duties, engaged in the work, this is obviously
impossible, and in a recent report to the Council on the
matter I have again advocated the utilisation of the services
of voluntary workers in the Borough, to be organised and
supervised by a lady acting under the Council, who preferably
should be a registered medical practitioner. The results
obtained in other districts where systematic visiting has been
thoroughly carried out encourage the hope that by similar
efforts infantile mortality in Fulham might be materially
lowered, especially as the relative excess in Fulham is entirely
due to the heavy mortality from diarrhoea—an
eminently preventible disease mainly caused by careless or
ignorant methods of feeding.
The proportion of the babies visited by Mrs. Davies who
were said to be solely breast fed was as under:—
Age.
Number
visited.
Number
suckled.
Percentage
suckled.
Under one month
306
285
93.1
One to two months
373
342
91.8
Two to three months
221
184
83.3
Three to six months
280
215
70.8
Six to nine months
75
47
62.7
1,255
1,073
85.6