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20
During 1919 the number of notifications of births received
was 2,928. The (corrected) number of births registered in
Battersea was 3,075. The proportion of notified to registered
births was, therefore, 95.2 per cent., compared with 85.8 in
1918 and 78.1 in 1917.
318 or 10.8 per cent. of the notifications were made by
medical practitioners, 1,601 or 54.7 per cent. by midwives,
and 1,009 (34.5 per cent.) by other persons.
Sixty-eight still-births were notified during the year.
The notified cases are visited by the Council's official or
by the voluntary Associations' trained health visitors. It is
not possible, of course, with the staff at our disposal to visit
more than a proportion of the cases, but as far as circumstances
will permit efforts are made to visit in the less prosperous
districts of the Borough the home of every newly-born child
notified. This very important work has suffered from the
increased duties thrown upon the health-visiting staff in connection
with the milk orders.
In all cases of notified births visited enquiries are made
into the methods of feeding, and breast feeding is encouraged
wherever possible. The care and management of infants is
tactfully explained to the mothers, who are at the same time
invited to bring their babies to the nearest Infant Welfare
Centre, so that the subsequent history and progress of the
infants and the mothers can be followed up and kept under
continuous observation.
Returns of all births (with home addresses) registered in
Battersea are obtained from the district Registrars weekly.
This practice is most useful in providing a check on the notified
returns.
Milk Orders.
The Milk (Mothers and Children) Order, 1918, and the
Local Authorities (Food Control) Order (No. 1), 1918, were
in force in the Borough of Battersea during the year 1919.
These orders were administered mainly from the Town Hall
Centre, but, in part, locally through the Council's Maternity
and Child Welfare Centres, and through the Voluntary
Associations' Centres linked up with the Council's scheme.
The orders remained in force until rescinded on 22nd
December, 1919, and were succeeded by the Milk (Mothers
and Children) Order, 1919, and the Local Authorities Milk
(Mothers and Children) Order, 1919. These two latter orders
re-enacted the two former orders, with the following
modifications:—