IN VICTORIA, the most southeasterly state of Australia, 85 percent of the mothers make use of the state's free infant welfare services. The high standard of those services has undoubtedly contributed to the marked decrease in the infant mortality rate which has occurred since the service began. In 1956, the rate in Victoria was down to 18.37 per 1,000 the lowest on record in Australia. These services had a small start in the capital city of Melbourne in 1917. Since then they have spread through all cities and towns, large and small, and through rural areas. They are still spreading wherever new settlements spring up. Infant welfare centers or clinics have been established in all our populous areas, and mothers come to them with their infants and young children for information on health measures and advice on their feeding and upbringing. Antepartal advice is given during pregnancy, but only if there is an antenatal clinic staffed by a medical officer is an obstetric examination carried out. Otherwise the mother sees her own doctor. Centers are staffed by infant welfare nurses who have completed general nursing and midwifery courses and, in addition, special training in