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remark applies to those certified as dying from atrophy, debility,
and marasmus.
It is on these lines that our efforts will be directed during the
coming year, giving special attention to those infants apparently
belonging to the class just referred to. As to Ante-Natal causes,
and the effect on the child of maternal weakness or disease, we
find reliable information is difficult to obtain without great tact
and care, but most valuable. From semi-official returns I know
of about 30 still-births, and as many abortions occurring during
the year, and if we add to these numbers 19 deaths from premature
birth, 7 from congenital defect, and 18 from atrophy, etc,
we get a total of 104 losses at least, which may be due and
probably are due primarily to maternal influence.
As regards ante-natal causes of infantile deaths, I do not
think I can do better than quote the words of Dr. J. W.
Ballantyne at the Infantile Mortality Congress last year in a most
able paper on the subject. He says "most of the causes of
infantile deaths are post-natal in operation; but ante-natal causes
are not a negligible quantity and must be kept in mind."
In conclusion, one feels that to pull down the infantile
mortality rate a tough piece of work has been undertaken, but if
we are on the right road, and I believe we are, we shall in time
be rewarded by some measure, perhaps a large measure of success.
Accident Ambulance.
At the beginning of the year a fund was started with the
object of providing the town with an accident ambulance. The