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67
PROVISION OF MEALS TO EXPECTANT AND NURSING
MOTHERS.
This provision is not valued, probably for sentimental reasons
as much as it ought to be, only five mothers availing themselves of
its advantages during the year, 68 dinners having been supplied.
FOSTER CHILDREN.
Cases of foster children received in the district are notified to
the Medical Officer of Health by the Guardians under Part I. of
the Children Act, 1908, thirty-two children being so notified
during the year. Special visits in all such cases are made by the
Health Visitors, and the foster mothers as far as possible are
induced to attend a Welfare Centre with the children. As a
general rule the care of foster children in the district appears
to be -satisfactory.
ILLEGITIMACY.
Twenty illigitimate children were born during the year, giving
an illegitimate birth rate of 0.52 per 1,000 population, illegitimacy
thus forming 2.3 per cent, of the total birth rate compared with
2.9 for the previous year. While the infantile death rate among
legitimate children was 83.53 per thousand births, that among
illegitimate children was equal to 150.0. Ignorance, the age of
the mother and other causes, probably account for such a disproportionate
mortality amongst illegitimate compared with legitimate
children, and the need has recently been emphasised in
the Medical Press for legislation to deal with the whole question
of illegitimacy and the closely connected one of foster parentage,
and to include, inter alia, the state registration of foster parents,
of institutions receiving illegitimate children with powers of refusal
of registration in certain cases, their regular and systematic
inspection, and the notification of all migrant children and deaths
to the Local Sanitary Authority.