428 MKDICAL SECTION 



sent either to the maternity hospital or the hospital 

 for sick children. These branches should be made 

 the centres for distributing milk. 



My proposal then is that these branches should 

 be administered by the Public Health Department 

 and officered by members of the staff of the 

 Maternity hospital and the Public Health Depart- 

 ment. By such an arrangement, we would have 

 complete control over pregnant women, nursing- 

 mothers and infants. 



Another use might be made of these centres. 

 The different charitable institutions for the distribu- 

 tion of clothing and food for the poor could at once 

 get information regarding needy cases. 



I feel sure that with slight alterations to suit 



o 



local arrangements and institutions a scheme of the 

 nature I have sketched might be elaborated for all 

 cities and towns. 



As regards country districts with no hospitals the 

 intimation of pregnancy would give the Health 

 Authorities a control over the practice of midwives 

 which would be greatly to the advantage of the 

 community. 



Without doubt a scheme on the lines I have 

 indicated will be introduced some day. I trust 

 we will not have to wait too long, for until it 

 comes there is little hope of improving the present 

 unsatisfactory conditions. 



Permit rne to thank you again for the honour you 

 have done me in asking me to read this paper. 



Dr. NAISH (Sheffield) said he would like to thank Dr. 

 Kerr very much for the address he had given them. From 

 another point of view he had been most thoroughly con- 

 vinced himself of the importance of toxaemias oi 

 pregnancy. Dr. Kerr had told them of the enor- 

 mous mortality which serious toxaemias caused amongst 

 children, and he would like to ask in connection 

 with this how long were the infants followed up ? 

 Did such deaths occur before the end of the first day, 



