[Report 1913] / Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County.

  • Canterbury (England). City & County Council.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1913] / Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/32 (page 10)
    INFANTILE MORTALITY. 'I’here were 62 deuthh imder 1 vear oi' age, an increase ui 2-1 over last .year; of 10 over 1011, of 10 over 1010, of 2 over 1000. 16 of this increase were due to deaths from premature birtli. I’lie deaths from i)reniature birth arc caused largely by ante-natal conditions. The co-operation of midwives with charitable organisations will be required to remedy this by supplying food to necessitous ex])ectant mothers. Pneumoniii caused 10 death.s—increase 5. Diar- rh'jea, enteritis and gastritis caused 7 deaths—increase 6. Sy))hilis 2—increase 2, 1 imported, llronchitis 6—decrease 2 Convulsions 2—decrease 4. Suffocation 1—decrease 1. I’ulierculous meningitis 2—increase 1. Abdominal tubercu- losis 2—increase 1. The annual infantile mortality was 76.0 to 1,000 births registered. The infantile mortality for England and Wales lor 1913 was 109 to 1,000 births registered. 1 made enquiries into all cases of deaths imder 1 year of age. There is no doubt the abandonment of breast-feed- ing without adequate cause is a most important factor of e.xcessive infant mortality. The Notification of Eirths Act has not been adopted, and should be made compulsory throughout the country. .\ liealth Visitor is much needed to visit the homes of tlu* mothers and give advice. I here are two Motlua'craft (Hubs, both doing good M'ork tor the wellare oi young children. In one of these Dr. Shan very kindly gives his services, and attends weeklv to advise and instruct the mothers as to the details of feed- ing and ot general hygiene. Every midwife should receive acciiiate training in infant hvgiene, and her work should be controlled by the Inspectors of Midwives.