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72
THE PRE-SCHOOL CHILD.
Treatment may be obtained for children attending the infant
welfare clinics as follows :—
Minor Ailments.—Treatment is given at the Central Clinic.
Dental and orthopaedic treatment, and treatment of septic
tonsils and adenoids are available.
Convalescent Treatment.—This is provided for under the Schcme,
and is of value for children suffering from debility following acute
illness.
During the year a Refraction Clinic for toddlers has been
inaugurated and is doing useful work.
FOSTER CHILDREN.
All cases of foster children resident in the district are notified
by the Guardians to the Medical Officer of Health under the
Children Act, Part 1.
Twenty-four notifications were received during the year, and
special visits were made by the health visitors to these children,
who are also kept under supervision by the Infant Life Protection
Visitor.
Fortunately for many years accurate records have been kept in
the Public Health Department of all foster children in the district,
so that the work devolving on us in 1930 (under the Children
Act, 1908), will not be new to the department.
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
The total number of deaths of infants during the year was 42,
giving an infant mortality rate of 53.4 per thousand registered
births, compared with 63.3 per thousand for 1928.
ILLEGITIMACY.
Fourteen illegitimate children were born during the year, and
in the same period 5 deaths of illegitimate infants occurred; the
infantile mortality rate among these children was therefore 357.1;
while that for legitimate infants was 47.9.
DENTAL CLINIC.
A general increase in this branch of the work has been taking
place, and during 1929 the attendances of expectant and nursing