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INFANTILE MORTALITY
The figures that follow speak for themselves to some extent.
There were 9 deaths from congenital malformations. Some congenital
malformations resulted from infection or malnutrition of the mother
and unborn baby; some from disease of the mother, but of many we do
not yet know the cause. All that can be done at present is to try
to give to the expectant mother the best possible ante-natal care.
The prevention of prematurity, as far as it is possible, also depends
on good ante-natal care, but good infant care both in hospital and
subsequently, often saves the life of the premature baby. From then
on the mother has a load greater than that of a mother with a child
born at the normal time, because the baby that is born too soon lacks
many of the nutrients that are taken up by the baby late in pregnancy
and these have to be given to the child at the right rate later.
Generally speaking the premature child has not caught up with his full
term contemporary much before the age of seven years.
Pneumonia and bronchitis usually carry off many babies, but
only two deaths from this cause was recorded in 1962. As a rule a
healthy well-nourished baby may catch bronchitis but does not die of
it.