OUTLINES OF A POLICY OF EEPOEM 301 



divided among the assistants, each lady helper 

 undertaking to make periodic visits for a certain 

 period, usually a year, and to keep the case under 

 observation. The greatest possible care is taken to 

 avoid encroachment upon the domain of the family 

 physician, and to keep the visits upon a friendly 

 basis rather than an official one. 



I regret that I am unable to speak of the Hudders- 

 field experiment from personal observation. At 

 first, upon reading an account of it in the Annual 

 Report of the Medical Officer of the city, I was in- 

 clined to question its practicability. It seemed to 

 me that there would inevitably be friction between the 

 visiting physicians employed by the Board of Health 

 and the family doctors, and also that the volunteer 

 visitors would be likely to offend many mothers by 

 their tactlessness. I submitted these matters to a 

 medical man of standing in Huddersfield and he 

 assured me that, in his experience, neither of the 

 difficulties had arisen, and that the plan was working 

 splendidly and accomplishing great good . Since it has 

 been in operation only two years, it is too early to 

 attempt a statistical measure of its value, but the 

 Huddersfield authorities seem to believe in it and to 

 expect great results from it.° 



One thing is evident from these fragmentary ex- 

 periences and experiments, namely, that the great 

 majority of mothers are fuUy aware of their need of 



