Report of the proceedings of the National conference on infantile mortality : held in the Caxton hall, Westminster, on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th March 1908, president - Right Hon. John Burns.

  • National Conference on Infantile Mortality.
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the proceedings of the National conference on infantile mortality : held in the Caxton hall, Westminster, on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th March 1908, president - Right Hon. John Burns. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    inspected 809 children, of whom 167 only were “ nurse- children ” within the meaning of the Act. The percent- age of cases to which the Act did not apply was therefore 79.3. It must be remembered that though probably the majority of the cases within the Act are notified, a large number of the “one-child” cases do not come to light. No doubt, if legally notifiable, the percentage of these cases would be found to be very much higher. For example, the number of “one- child” cases discovered or notified in 1898 in Man- chester was 231, whereas in 1906 only 25 of these cases were reported in the Chorlton Union. It cannot be supposed that in a Union with an estimated popula- tion of nearly 400,000 there wdre only 25 “one-child” cases. The great decrease in the number discovered was due to the fact that whereas in 1898 I made a “ house-to-house ” visitation for the purpose of finding, as far as possible, the exact number of children, in 1906 I visited only such cases as were notified by the nurses themselves. The amending Bill has been the subject of discus- sion at several Poor Law Conferences, at the Interna- tional Conference for the Welfare and Protection of Children (1902), and at the National Conference on Infantile Mortality, of 1906, and on each occasion the recommendation of the inclusion of the “one-child” cases has been carried. Deputations have waited upon the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary, and the result has been that the amendment of the Infant Life Protection Act, 1897, forms Part I. of the Children’s Bill introduced in the House of Commons last month by Mr Herbert Samuel, M.P. It is now proposed to bring under inspection all “lump-sum” cases, no matter of what amount; to impose penalties for neglect to notify such cases ; to give the Local Authorities increased powers of removal of children from unsuitable nurses or premises; to increase the amount of the fines for offences, and also to increase the alternative sentences of imprisonment.