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29
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
the Health Visitors having taken over the visiting of cases of
Measles and Whooping Cough under 5 years of age, and in certain
districts of those over five. The number of visits paid after
notification of Measles was 2,771, and the number of visits after
notification of Whooping Cough was 487.
At the first visit, 2,185 infants were wholly breast-fed; of
the remaining 539, 229 were breast-fed supplemented by artificial
feeding, 92 were fed on cows' milk only, 78 on condensed milk
only, 95 on dried milk, 19 on farinaceous and other foods, and
the remaining 26 on some form of milk, supplemented by other
foods.
On re-visiting, 1,367 were entirely breast-fed, in 561 cases
condensed, cows' or dried milk or farinaceous foods were given
in addition to the breast, 268 on cows' milk only, 95 on condensed
milk only, 164 on dried milk, and 68 on farinaceous and other
foods, and 385 on some form of milk supplemented by other foods.
In only seven cases were tube bottles used, 23 were spoonfed,
two were cup-fed, and the remainder had boat bottles.
138 of the infants visited died during the year; the highest
mortality, 23, occurred during the third and fourth months, and
43 died before reaching the age of four months. 40 died from
respiratory diseases, 35 from diarrhoea and enteritis, 12 from
whooping cough, six from marasmus, seven from measles, six
from atrophy, three from tuberculosis, three from gastritis, three
from influenza and pneumonia, three from congenital heart disease,
four from congenital syphilis, two from accidental suffocation,
two from diphtheria, and the remaining 12 from various complaints.
110 of the infants visited were prematurely born, 31 were
delicate from birth, and one was mentally defective; 28 twin
births were visited.
With regard to the employment of mid-wives, 1,059 mothers
had employed their services, and in four cases unregistered midwives
had been called in. 151 infants were born in hospitals and
-other institutions.