View report page

27
as their predecessors. This drawback was counterbalanced to
some extent by the appointment during the year of an additional
Health Visitor.
The following is a summary of the work carried out by
the Council's and the Voluntary Associations' Health Visiting
Staffs during 1919:—
First Visits.
Total Visits.
Visits to expectant mothers
233
439
Visits to notified births
1,852
4,623
Visits to children, age 1 to 5
277
484
Visits to enqiure into infant deaths
8
8
Visits to cases of infectious diseases
834
1,869
Other visits
342
—
Attendances at Maternity Centres
619
—
By Voluntary Trained Health
Visitors
960
3,428
Ante-Natal Work.
Special efforts were made during the year to develop this
aspect of the Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme. The midwives
practising in the Borough were invited to send their
patients to the Maternity Clinics, held at the various Maternity
and Child Welfare Centres in the Borough, and the Health
Visitors, in the course of their home visiting, sent into the
clinics a considerable number of expectant mothers for consultation
and record purposes. The number of mothers who attended
the Maternity Clinics during the year is as follows:—
Attendances.
Municipal Clinic.
Voluntary Clinic.
Total.
123
9
132
The number of cases recorded during the year in the books
of the Municipal Clinics was 70. Of these 70 cases 17 were
sent in by local midwives, 37 by the Council's Health Visitors,
and 16 attended of their own accord.
Twelve cases were sent to hospital for more extended
examination or for treatment.
The Mother-Craft Classes at the Latchmere Centre, held
on Wednesdays in each week, are largely attended. Here the
mothers are taught how to cut out and make suitable garments
for the lying-in period and for their newly-born infants.
Flannel and other materials are sold to them at cost price—a
matter of prime concern to working-class expectant and
nursing mothers under existing economic conditions.