These varied duties have called for special qualifications, and, in addition to certificates in sanitation, Women Sanitary Inspectors usually hold qualifications in nursing or midwifery. The general education of the women who take up this profession is, on the whole, superior to that of the men. Most of the women have had a high school education, and many are University graduates, while the men, as a rule, come from the elementary schools.
The duties of a Woman Sanitary Inspector are sufficiently varied to avoid monotony, and may comprise any or all of the following:--
_A_. (1) The inspection of factories in order to see that suitable and sufficient sanitary accommodation is provided for women, in accordance with the requirements of the Public Health Acts.
(2) The carrying out of the provisions of the Public Health and Factory and Workshops Acts, with regard to the registration and inspection of
_(a)_ laundries, workshops, and workplaces (including kitchens of hotels and restaurants) where women are employed;
(3) The inspection of tenement houses and houses let in lodgings, and the enforcement of the bye-laws of the Sanitary Authority affecting these.
(4) House-to-house inspection in the poorer parts of the district.
(5) The inspection of public lavatories for women.
(6) The carrying out of duties and inspection concerning
(_a_) Notifiable infectious diseases, such as scarlet fever.
(_b_) Non-notifiable infectious diseases such as measles.
(7) Taking samples under the Food and Drugs Acts. (This work is rarely given to women.)
For many of the above duties, women are obviously better fitted than men, but for the following most important group of duties men are practically disqualified by reason of their sex:--
_B_. Health visiting. Work in connection with the reduction of infantile mortality :--
(1) Notification of Births Act, 1907. Visiting infants and giving advice to mothers about the feeding and general management of young children.
(2) Advising expectant mothers on the management of their health and as to the influence of ante-natal conditions on their infants.
(3) Work in connection with milk depôts and infant consultations.
(4) Promotion of general cleanliness in the home and discovery of sanitary defects