Medicine, Disease and Society in Britain, 1750 - 1950
INFANT AND MATERNAL
WELFARE
Lecture 15
LECTURE AIMS AND OUTLINE
From public health to social medicine
- Physical deterioration and national efficiency
 Infant and maternal welfare: ‘Infant Welfare
Movement’
- Social medicine agenda
- Policies and education
- How effective were measures?

1876-1899 birth rate fell 35.5 to 30.5 (per 1,000
population) – 14%
1876-1899 infant mortality increased from 146 to
156 (per 1,000 live births) – 7%
SOCIAL MEDICINE: 1880-1930

Shift state interest from control of disease ( e.g. sanitary
reform & vaccination)to the promotion of health
By
Improving social conditions
Providing health education
Increased provision of services
-
But not backed up usually with material assistance
THE BOER WAR 1899-1902 AND
NATIONAL EFFICIENCY


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The Boer War led to a specially appointed Committee on
Physical Deterioration in 1903.
The Committee explored why so many army recruits
were unfit.
1904 Committee report - no evidence of long-term
physical deterioration in the British population, but they
did make these recommendations:
a) Medical inspections of children in schools
b) Free school meals for the very poor
c) Training in mothercraft.
REPORT OF THE INTER-DEPARTMENTAL
COMMITTEE ON
PHYSICAL DETERIORATION, 1904
PHYSIQUE OF YOUTH AS SHOWN BY WAR CF.
EFFECTS OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION, C.1920
HUDDERSFIELD SCHEME: ADVICE TO
MOTHERS, C.1905
‘FEED WITH THE MOTHER’S MILK’
 ‘If you really love your child and would do the
best for it, feed it at the breast. (Out of 100
bottlefed children 50 died during their first year
– out of 100 breast-fed children only 7!)


‘NEVER give the baby soothing syrups, fever
powders, or anything of that sort. NEVER give
the baby bread, or sops, or gravy, or any other
food, except milk, till it is not more than seven
months old…. Never use a feeding bottle with a
long tube…’ (Annual Report of MOH
Huddersfield 1905)
FEEDING BOTTLE WITH LONG TUBE,
C.1913
GRAPH SHOWING DEATHS OF BOTTLE AND
BREAST FED BABIES, 1898: PREVENTABLE
CAUSES
INFANT MORTALITY
End of the C19, Medical Officers of Health
observed and analysed infant mortality.
 Education Act 1906: meals to be given to school
children.
 Education Act 1907: established medical
inspection of schools.
 Notification of Births Act 1907: local officer of
health should be informed within 6 weeks of a
birth so a health visitor could visit.
 System of notification was made compulsory in
1915.

INFANT MORTALITY

Maternity and Child Welfare Act 1918
- local authority to set up a maternal and child
welfare committee
- enabled local authorities to provide a range of
services e.g. health visitors, day nurseries and
food and milk.
Ministry of Health 1919
- Department devoted to infant and maternal
welfare

The photographer’s caption for this vivid illustration of domestic
poverty was ‘Distressing scenes in the East End. All the food in the
house – a little butter, sugar and a nearly empty tin of milk. July, 1912’.
MOTHERHOOD AND EDUCATION
General method of education was leaflets on
infant management.
 Lectures (poorly attended) and infant
consultations also offered.
 Voluntary agencies opened Schools for Mothers.
 First ‘School for Mothers’ – St. Pancras, 1907.
 Combination of classes and health talks,
individual consultations, advice on feeding and
weighing the baby.
 Infant welfare clinics
 Target audience = working class (poor with
irregular earnings or small earnings).

ST PANCRAS SCHOOL FOR
MOTHERS 1907
INFANT WELFARE CLINIC. (C.1914)
Leaflet advertising the new Mother’s
and Babies’ Welcome in St Pancras,
London, 1907.
A CHARITY, FOUNDED IN
1907, THE ST PANCRAS
WELCOME OFFERED A
COMPREHENSIVE RANGE
OF SERVICES TO
MOTHERS AND BABIES.
THESE WERE NOT FREE,
BUT AVAILABLE FOR A
SMALL FEE.
BABY WEEK, C.1924
CONCLUSION
Infant and maternal welfare was an important part of
the state’s objective to improve national efficiency.
 It is unclear whether infant and maternal welfare
policies were primarily responsible for the fall in infant
mortality. It did fall: From 128 (per 1,000 births) in
1905 to 105 in 1914 (babies dying before first
birthday).
 Policies did carry a strong ideology of motherhood.
 Emphasis on better child-care and motherhood
reinforced women’s traditional role.
 W-class women were thought to be in greatest need of
instruction.

MATERNTY: LETTERS FROM WORKING WOMEN,
EDITED MARGARET LLEWELYN DAVIES, 1915
(WOMEN’S COOPERATIVE GUILD)
‘From the time I married till just previous to the
birth of my third child, my husband earned 28s.
per week; then followed two years’ shortness of
work. When my forth was born, we had no food or
anything to eat… The past struggle left its mark
on the physique of my children… My home was
very dirty, the children got ragged, meals worse
than usual… I have resorted to drugs, trying to
prevent of bring about a slip… after the birth of
my first baby I suffered from falling womb…
doctors who attended me never told me anything
concerning my babies or myself.’
 Wages 30s, eight children, two still-born, three
miscarriages.
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