[Report 1925] / Medical Officer of Health, Eccles Borough.

  • Eccles (Greater Manchester, England). Borough Council.
Date:
1925
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1925] / Medical Officer of Health, Eccles Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/74 (page 16)
    From the first part of the table it will he seen that the rednc- tion in the number of deaths during the first week of life has only been 10 per cent, but it shows a steady increase in the later periods of the first year. The reason for this is that many of the causes of death at the later period are preventable and are being prevented by increased supervision of the children by the Health Visitors and at the Infant Welfare Centre, by home nursing and by educa- tion of the mothers. The causes of death during the first week of life are operating diiring pregnancy and labour and in order to effect a corresponding reduction of the deaths during this period it is necessary that there should be a spread of knowledge of the hygiene of pregnancy, increased antenatal supervision and an improved midwifery service together with greater use of hospital accommodation for confinement in cases in which the home conditions are not satisfactory. In this connection reference may be made to the provision for the hospital treatment of maternity cases which is being made by the Barton-upon-Irwell Board of Guardians in the new Hospital now being constructed at Davyhulme. A mater- nity ward is being provided at this institution which will be adequate for the needs of the district, and it is hoped that full iise will be made of the accommodation. A large number of cases are now admitted for confinement to the Union Hospital in Green Lane, but full use is not made of this accommodation at the present time as the hospital building forms part of the Poor Law Institu- tion, and many mothers are prejudiced against the maternity ward on this account. The new building will be purely a hospital and I hope that the dissociation of the hospital from the other functions of the Board of Guardians will entirely overcome this prejudice. The second portion of the table shows the reduction which has occurred in the number of infant deaths from varioTis causes. An exception is seen in the number of deaths from congenital malformations and for this increase I can offer no explanation. Other causes of death all show a decrease, the most important being in the number due to diarrhoeal diseases which is entirely due to the greater care which is now taken with the storage and prepara- tion of infant food. The long tube bottle which was a fruitful cause of enteritis is now a thing of the past, privy-middens have been abolished, flies are less prevalent, and the dangers of a dirty milk supply during hot weather have been obviated by the use of dried milk. Deaths from Pneumonia and Bronchitis show the smallest reduction. The number of the.se deaths varies considerably from year to year and is de])endent upon the severity of the winter. The flatness and lowness of the district is responsible for the prevalence of catarrhal conditions and the commonest ailment among babies in this district is catarrh in its various forms. In the present overcrowded condition of many of the houses there are no facili- ties for the satisfactory nursing of Bronchitis and Pneiimonia.