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15
forcement of the present regulations under the Dairies, Cowsheds,
and Milkshops Order.
INFANT MORTALITY.
Our infant mortality figure stands at 131, which is much
higher than it should be. The influence of diarrhoea in raising
it to this height has been already considered. But there
are many other causes from which large numbers of infants
die in this district every year. A large proportion of these are
preventable, and the children's lives in most of the cases could
have been saved by attention on the part of the parents to the
elementarv principles of the laws of health. Many of the
children who survive their illnesses suffer much in after life as
a result of this neglect, growing up weakly and stunted. It is
difficult to inculcate the importance of observing the rules of
health upon adults who have grown up in ignorance of them,
but much good would accrue by instructing the children on
these subjects in the schools and by training them in the elementary
principles and practice of domestic hvgiene. The matter
has an important bearing on the future health of the community,
and I would suggest to the Council that some steps
should be taken to include such training in the education of
our Bromley children.
As regards the instruction of young women and mothers I
think it might be advantageous to arrange for a short course of
attractive lectures in the poorer districts on First Aid to Infants.
There seems to me no reason why such lectures should not
become as popular as First Aid for the Injured is among some
of the well-to-do classes. They are certainly very urgently