View report page

104
(/) Eye Defects.—The Refraction Clinic for toddlers, which was
established in 1929, has continued to do useful work. During the
year spectacles were provided for two children under this scheme.
65. FOSTER CHILDREN.
Prior to the 1st April, 1930, all cases of foster children resident
in the district were reported by the Guardians to the Medical Officer
of Health under Part I of the Children Act, 1908.
On 1st April, 1930, the powers under this Act were transferred
to you by the Local Government Act, 1929, and notifications are
now received by your Medical Officer direct from the foster parents.
During the year 46 notifications were received through the
Guardians and from the foster parents, and these children have been
kept under special observation by the Health Visitors, who are also
Infant Life Protection Visitors.
Fortunately, for many years accurate records have been kept
in the Public Health Department of all foster children in the district,
so that the work which devolved on us in 1930 under the Local
Government Act, 1929, was not new to the department.
66. INFANTILE MORTALITY.
The total number of deaths of infants under the age of one
year during the year was 49, giving an infant mortality rate of
61.32 per thousand registered births, compared with 53.4 per
thousand for 1929.
The average infant mortality rate for the whole of the country
for 1930 was 60, for London 59 and for the 107 County Boroughs
and Great Towns including London, of over 50,000 inhabitants,
the infant mortality rate was 64. It will therefore be seen that
our infant mortality figure for this year was very average.