M 61
232. Disease:-At the first visit to the Centres, the great majority of infants required medical treatment. The numbers suffering from the more prevalent diseases and disorders are tabulated under:-
Wanchai Kowloon Digestive Disturbances 500 301 Gastro-Enteritis 72 63 Malnutrition 324 247 Infected Umbilicus 63 29 Umbilical Hernia 101 64 Conjunctivitis 340 153 Discharging Ears 25 18 Thrush 211 128 Skin Diseases 426 388 Phimosis 176 117 Jaundice 38 16 Anaemia 51 30 Congenital Syphilis 14 7 Rickets 51 15 Respiratory diseases 657 348233. General Remarks:--In view of the fact that some 68 per cent of the infants were either wholly or partly breast-fed when they first attended the Centre, it is remarkable that such a large number were suffering from some digestive disturbance. It was found that irregular feeding and unsuitable supplementary food were the common causes of this. In both centres, therefore, we are attacking this problem by the careful instruction of mothers in the need for regular feeding, and by impressing upon them the importance of correctly diluted cow's milk for supplementary feeds.
234. In this connection, the Society for the Protection of Children gives valuable aid in supplying free milk to the poorer mothers, in cooperating with us in the instruction of the mothers, and in visiting the homes of cases referred to them.
235. Home visits are also paid by the nursing staff of the Wanchai Centre and will be started at the Kowloon Centre when there is sufficient staff.
236. Soup Kitchens :-A free distribution of soup to poor nursing mothers and under-nourished older babies was started at Wanchai on January 22nd and at Kowloon on June 1st. This has been continued for the remainder of the year in the afternoons, with a daily average of about 20 free meals at each centre. Free soup is a great boon to these poor people, and is doing much to improve the health of their babies.