Saturday 10 February 2018

Infant Welfare Centres

From the Illustrated London News, 9th February 1918. 

 LADIES' PAGE.


A great response is being made to the Duchess of Marlborough's appeal for jewels for a Fund to maintain Infant Welfare Centres.  Large numbers of ladies are sparing some of their ornaments to be sold to help the babies of poor mothers to live.  One of the most tragic features of our ordinary social life is the large infant mortality.  It has been quite the custom to ascribe all these deaths to "the ignorance and incapacity of the mothers," but this is most unjust.  Children born with tainted constitutions cannot live, and infantile diseases, such as measles and whooping-cough, which find their way to the most sheltered and tenderly cared-for infants, cause a considerable part of the deaths.  Above all causes, however, is sheer poverty; lack of wholesome surroundings, and of the food, always rather costly, that is alone suitable for young children.

Ignorance, in truth, exists amongst mothers, but if the Infant Life Centres did no more than try to instruct the poorest mothers about what they ought to do, the results would probably not be great.  But the Duchess of Marlborough and her coadjutors do more than talk.  They actually provide the milk (mostly now in a dried form) that the babies need, and also other kinds of helping food-stuffs, either free of charge or much under shop prices.  They maintain crèches, and have free and sympathetic periodical inspections of babies, with skilled advice and any necessary material help ready for them directly they are found to be at all unwell.  In short, the Centres are doing most valuable work, and any ladies who can spare a piece or two of jewellery cannot do better than donate it for this most womanly purpose.  The Duchess has arranged for a show of the jewels already given at Selfridge's during the week beginning Feb. 16, when her Grace, with Lady Henry, the Hon. Sec., and other members of the Committee, will be in attendance to receive personally further gifts of jewels or money.

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