London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Wandsworth 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]
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61
Maternity and Child Welfare.
Infant Visiting.
There were 4,334 births during the year and 4,040 of these,
or 90.9 per cent., were visited compared with.84.1 in 1930, 84.1
in 1929, 85 in 1928, 82.7 in 1927, and 81.7 in 1926.
Table XXXII. gives particulars of the method of feeding of infants on the occasion of the initial visit and when revisited. On the first visit it was found that 3,427 of the 4,040 infants visited were being fed from the breast entirely.
TABLE XXXII.
| Method of Feeding. | Age of infant on first visit. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 month. | 1—3 months. | 3—6 months. | 6—12 months. | Total. | |
| Breast-fed | 2143 | 979 | 223 | 82 | 3427 |
| Otherwise fed | 159 | 258 | 98 | 98 | 613 |
| Method of Feeding. | Age of infant on subsequent visit. | ||||
| Under 1 month. | 1—3 months. | 3—6 months. | 6—12 months. | Total. | |
| Breast-fed | 144 | 558 | 696 | 465 | 1863 |
| Otherwise fed | 52 | 234 | 537 | 1257 | 2080 |
It was found that in 1,047 of the births, doctors had been in
attendance, while in 1,653 the services of midwives had been
utilised. 1,340 infants were born in hospitals and other institutions.