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These malformations are notified to the Department and summaries
are forwarded to the Department of Health and Social
Security in accordance with the scheme which has been in operation
since January 1st, 1964. We are grateful for the co-operation of
all doctors and midwives working in the Borough for their help
in providing these statistics. It must be appreciated that the diagnosis
of some congenital malformations causes them difficulties
during the neo-natal period.
Continuing the trend evident since 1965, there was a further
decrease of 11.4% in the congenital abnormalities notified during
1969 giving a rate of 23.49 compared with that of 25.51 for the
previous year. One exception to this was the increase in deformities
of the alimentary system which rose by 50% to a total of 12.
However, numbers are small and this is almost certainly a chance
fluctuation.
Limb Deformities
The main limb deformities were congenital dislocation of the
hip and talipes, conditions which can usually be completely cured
especially when given expert treatment from birth. Such treatment
is immediately available to all babies born in this country. Every
infant attending the Child Health Clinics is examined by the doctor
for congenital dislocation of the hip which, unlike talipes, is not
always immediately recognised on neo-natal examination but,
when detected and treated at an early age, causes no locomotor
problems when the child begins to crawl and walk.
Anencephaly—Of all the malformations recorded, most research
has been carried out in respect of anencephaly perhaps because this
is a condition which is easily and reliably identified. Statistics with
regard to this defect, therefore, tend to reflect the true position.
In Greenwich, the 1969 rate for 1,000 total notified births was
2.71 compared with a figure of 1.38 for England and Wales and
1.10 for the South East Region for the year 1968.