Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1922.

  • Camberwell (London, England). Metropolitan Borough.
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1922. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/58 page 9
    INFANTILE MORTALITY. An examination of the deaths from all causes under one year shows that the deaths under the headings of pneumonia and premature birth are too high, and should be capable of being reduced. It must be conceded that the conditions operating in the poorer parts of the Borough tend towards the deaths from pneumonia remaining at the present level, but much can be done, in addition to improving the economic conditions of the family, by the counsel of the health visitor in counteracting the ignorance of the mother in feeding and clothing her infant, and generally improving the resistive power of the child to attack, and by the assistance of a trained nurse in the early stages of the disease. It is, however, a much more difficult matter to grapple with the causes which lead up to premature births, a question which is engaging the serious attention of those who seek the prevention of infant deaths. A more systematic supervision of the mother during pregnancy is necessary, and I am not without hope of seeing a reflection of the work of ante-natal supervision resulting in a gradual decline in the number of deaths from this cause in the future. On the other hand, it is gratifying to report that the total deaths for the year from diarrhœa and enteritis numbered 31 only, as against 85 for the previous year. That the work of the health visitors is an important factor in the low mortality from this cause cannot be questioned. The advice given to the mother at the Centre, together with lectures on matters of feeding, personal and domestic hygiene, supported by visits to the home to obtain information with regard to the health of the infants, results in preventing this disease in a large number of cases. For, after all, the question of diarrhcea prevention becomes largely a matter of education in precautions, and for this purpose a leaflet is issued to every mother attending the Municipal Centres, and a copy is also left at each house in the area of the Centres where a birth takes place. It is interesting to note that during the summer period there was only one death in the Hollington Street area (No. 1 Ward). For the period July to October inclusive only 5 deaths were recorded in the whole Borough. NOTIFIABLE DISEASES. Small-pox. There were no cases of small-pox notified during the year, although there was an outbreak in London. A large number of known contacts were kept under observation, but fortunately none of these developed the disease. Owing to the fear of any case being missed in which there was a doubt as to the diagnosis, the Council decided to make chickenpox notifiable temporarily. The Medical Officer of Health is always available for consultation for any doubtful case, and Dr. Wanklyn,
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