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births had been notified and in 101 cases not notified. Of the 101 cases not
notified, 16 were attended by doctors, 17 by midwives, 22 by students and 2 by
neighbours. In 12 cases wrong addresses were registered, and in 2 cases the
person in attendance on the mother at the time of the birth could not be
ascertained.
I wrote to the various doctors who had not notified and had replies giving
reasonable grounds for their not having done so. In the cases of midwives and
students of hospitals the reasons given were that the students or midwives had
only been recently appointed and were not aware of the Act.
In all cases where the births had not been notified, Miss Orange informed
the mothers that it was the duty of the father and of any person in attendance on
the mother at the time of or within six hours after the birth to notify the same.
The mothers always replied that their husbands were ignorant of the Act.
MODIFIED MILK FOR INFANTS.
In my Annual Report for 1906 I gave a detailed report respecting this
matter and the arrangements made with the Express Dairy Company who have
various depots in and near the Borough to supply modified milk for infants of the
working classes at the reduced rate of 4d. per day on production of a certificate
from me. During the year 39 new certificates were issued of which 9 were not
used for various reasons, in comparison with 48 that were used during the year
1907. Including 11 children who had taken the milk at the beginning of the
year 1908, the milk was used by 41 children during the year. In the majority of
cases the mothers were very well satisfied and the infants thrived well on the
milk.
In seven cases it was for various reasons discontinued; in five cases on
account of the mothers leaving the Borough.
Of the 41 children, two died. One child had taken prepared milk for six
months. It was much wasted when it began to do so at three months old, but
improved rapidly, and just before its death in September, from enteritis, was a
healthy well-developed child of nine months. The patient lived over a stable.
The other was an illegitimate child, who took the milk for three weeks until
seven weeks old. The patient was taken to hospital and died of diarrhoea three
weeks after the beginning of the illness.
Councillor Walter Hazell, J.P., has kindly continued to assist those parents
who cannot afford to pay the whole amount. Twenty-two such cases were assisted
during the year.