[Report 1928] / Medical Officer of Health, Perth City.

  • Perth (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1928
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1928] / Medical Officer of Health, Perth City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/70 page 16
    it may be mentioned that 5 took place in the High Street, 3 in Mill Street, Leonard Street, and Pornariurn, 2 in Guard Vermel, Whitefriars Street, Mill Street, Canal Street, Barrack Street, Water- gate, Cutlog Vennel, and St. Catherine’s Road, and the remainder in different parts of the City. Not a single infantile death occurred in the Meal Vennel. As regards occupations of Parents, the most prominent was that of labourers, followed by that of railway servants, mechanics, and firemen. There were no cases of a domestic servant as compared with two last year. In former reports one had to deal with a fair number of deaths of infants whose mothers were servants and whose infants had been farmed out. Another point may be noted, viz., that the death rate among the illegitimate is, as might be expected, considerably higher than among the legitimate. The number of legitimate births during the year was 578. Of these, 47 died—a percentage of 8 per cent. The illegitimate births were 39, with a death roll of 5, being equivalent to 13 per cent. Such figures would indicate two things, either that the class of parents of illegitimate children is of a very low order from a health point of view, or what is much more likely—is that the illegitimate child does not receive the kindly consideration and care which a legitimate child gets. Notwithstanding it is only right to say that the figure of 13 per cent, is the lowest of which I have knowledge. How much this is due to the Child Welfare Centre it is difficult to say, but in any case the work done by the Health Visitors is most useful, and they have done much to counteract the evils so often arising from ignorance, carelessness, and indifference. Parents have their duties to their children, so also has the State. It is not the duty of the State to take away a parent’s responsibilities, but there are cases where, for the sake of the infant, the State must take action. We must be agreed as to the value of a child’s life, not only from a State view, but from a natural and humanitarian point of view, and we must be determined to uphold it. It is to be borne in mind that the nation’s greatest asset is its children, and if in the past it was the “ cry ” of the man and the woman, the present time is the “ cry” of the child. Considering these infantile deaths from a Ward point of view, and in relation to the births in each Ward, we find that
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