[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney].

  • Hackney (London, England). Metropolitan Borough.
Date:
1918
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    44/46 page 44
    44 Notwithstanding these adverse conditions, 73.5 per cent. of the mothers nursed their children either wholly or in part on the breast, whilst 26.5 per cent. were bottle fed. One of the most valuable features of the Centre is their educational value. Formerly a poor mother whose child was not doing well, was dependent on the advice of a kindly neighbour as to whether the child should be taken off the breast or no. An increasing number of mothers who are in difficulty, come to the Centres for advice with great advantage to the child and frequently they volunteer the infor mation that they were sent by another mother who had herself attended under similar circumstances. On points of general hygiene and cleanliness, the mothers are most conscientious in carrying out instructions. It is to be noted that the Centres in Hackney are mostly attended by the thrifty, careful mother, the class which it is most important from the National point of view to help, as it is from them that the best results in the bringing up of healthy offspring will be obtained. Work in slum areas and amongst the poor and improvident is of a different kind and must partake more of the nature of social work, in trying to elevate the general tone as well as to ameliorate conditions. In this class, the work is always slow and often discouraging. But in the thrifty, though frequently poor, artisan class such as we have to deal with in Hackney, the mothers are exceedingly anxious to do their best for their children, and advice given at the Centres is regularly accepted and acted upon. The benefit accruing to these children is immediate and systematically carried out over the country, must have a marked immediate effect in reducing infant mortality and in producing a healthier and more robust type. The supplying of foods especially of dried milks has developed largely. It is unfortunate that the mere sale of food should take up so much of the Health Visitor's time. The visitation of the mother in the home by the nurse is one of the most important parts of the work of the Centre and is rightly, the branch of the work most stress is laid on by the Local
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