In Britain, Where Motherhood and Childhood Have Their Sanctity!

Care and welfare of the child in Britain begin before his eyes have seen the light of day, for the system of national medical services in Britain provides every means of care for mothers before and after confinement, whether it takes place at home or in the hospital — it being understood that these services are rendered entirely without charge. It is to be noted that the woman who prefers to give birth at home has the right to have both the doctor and the midwife attend her delivery.

The competent departments encourage expectant mothers to visit their doctors regularly, where they receive complete care and the doctors give them whatever counsel and advice is needed, in addition to arranging for them various kinds of tests, such as blood examinations and the like. Here, too, the mother can obtain whatever cod-liver oil she may need free of charge, and orange juice and milk at special reduced prices.

The mother may place her child in the hospital if the doctor sees a need for it, or if her home is unfit for the raising of the child. In both cases the parents bear none of the expenses, nor do they incur anything if the case requires consulting a specialist — unless they wish to place the child in a private room, in which case they must pay a small fee.

It is worth mentioning that the expectant mother receives a grant of ten pounds sterling if she gives birth to one child, and receives further gifts if she gives birth to more than one. If she is obliged to remain at home, she is entitled to receive four pounds more. And when the expectant mother is a working woman, she receives an allowance of forty shillings a week for eighteen weeks, beginning eleven weeks before the expected date of confinement. These allowances are increased when the woman has members of the family who depend on her for their living. When the birth of the child has taken place, the social visitor calls on the mother in her home and gives her counsel in everything concerning the child's comfort and welfare, as well as the health affairs of the entire family.

The mother can obtain the daily allotments of milk at reduced prices until the child reaches the age of five; likewise all children are entitled to obtain orange juice at reduced prices and cod-liver oil free of charge until they reach the age of five. Likewise the mother has the right to obtain, free of charge, the vitamins she needs before confinement; after confinement, mothers enjoy this right for thirty weeks.

The system of national health services assures all mothers and children the right to free medical treatment, whether in the hospitals or at home. In fact this system leaves nothing connected with illness unprovided for; even susceptibility to disease receives the utmost attention. Children, for example, are vaccinated and inoculated against smallpox, diphtheria, and whooping cough, either by the family doctor or at the public dispensaries.