[Report 1941] / Medical Officer of Health, Bebington Borough.

  • Bebington (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1941
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1941] / Medical Officer of Health, Bebington Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/40 page 11
    n The other 18 deaths were caused as follows: — Spina Bifida .... 1 Broncho Pneuiuonia 9 Prematurity 1 Cerebro S])inal Fever 1 Gastro Enteritis .... 1 Asphyxia due to Accidental Suffocation 1 Marasmus .... .... 2 Measles . . .... .... 1 Serous Meningitis 1 18 Tlie figure for the neo-natal deaths, on the comparison of figures on these tables for the year 1940, is gi'eater, but in 1941, it is to be noted that three-fourths of the neo-natal deaths were due to cases of immaturity, which term includes prematurity, congenital deformity, atelectasis, and spina bifida. It is a fact that wartime conditions are - very largely contributory to cases of prematurity. The various causes of death in the older children accountiilg for 18 cannot be said to be unusual and are of a variety of conditions to be expected in this sizei of po[)ulation. I should like to reiterate with emphasis the remarks of my immediate predecessor in his criticisms on milk supply to young infants and its possible effect on the Infantile Mortality Rate, and to state that this year our difficulties in procuring a pasteurised milk supply are still greatei' than they were in 1940. It will be noticed from the Chief Sanitary Inspector's report that out of 45 samples submitted for the pliosphatase test, 16 were found to have been insufficiently pasteurised or mixed with raw milk. When infants under 1 y^ear are not l)reast-fed or fed through the means of vailous dried foods and milk, mothers should be urged to sterilise domestically cows’ milk fed to young infants where the source is not 100<^^, certain of pre-war standards of purity. Maternity and Child Welfare. The following summary is based upon information and figures supplied by Miss A. Owen, Senior Health Visitor: —
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