View report page

44
deaths were the children of 398 expectant mothers who attended the Clinics, giving a death rate for
the children under 4 weeks, including stillbirths of these mothers of 40.2 per thousand births.
Three of the above 16 deaths were "triplets."
The remaining 159 were the children of 2,526 births who did not attend the Clinics, giving a
death rate for children under 4 weeks, including stillbirths, of 62.9 per thousand births in cases in
which the mothers did not previously seek the ante.natal care of the Clinics.
The diarrhoea and enteritis death rate amongst children under 1 year attending the Clinics was
4.1 per thousand births, and amongst children not attending 6.5 per thousand births.
The Maternity and Child Welfare work is closely co.ordinated with the school medical work.
The Health Visitors visit children under 5 years and school children when referred.
In this way labour is economised, and parents become accustomed to one particular Health
Visitor. The close relationship of the two services is maintained in the Clinics, where minor ailments
are treated each morning, both below 5 years and up to 14 years of age.
Two mornings each are specially set aside for throat, nose and ear cases and eye cases. One
morning is set aside for expectant mothers. Nursing mothers and children up to 5 years are seen
in the afternoons.
During the year the following papers wefe published by Dr. Vynne Borland, one of the Assistant
Medical Officers:—
*
1. " Prophylactic Treatment of Constipation in Children " (The Lancet, March 22nd, 1919).
2. " Preventive Treatment of Constipation in Children " (Maternity and Child Welfare,
May, 1919).
3. " A Suggested Scale for the Feeding of Infants on Dried Milk " (The Lancet, January
10th, 1920).
(3) Information on the incidence of puerperal fever, ophthalmia neonatorum, measles, whooping
cough, epidemic diarrhoea, poliomyelitis and other infectious diseases of parturient women, infants and
young children, and the methods adopted to diminish the mortality and permanent injury to health caused
by these diseases, and the results achieved by these methods. In particular, details should be given of each
case of ophthalmia neonatorum notified, showing whether one or both of the eyes were permanently injured,
and, if so, to what extent.
Puerperal Fever.—During the year 8 cases of puerperal fever were investigated ; 5 cases
were removed to the Infirmary, 3 of these cases died and 2 recovered. The other 3 cases which were
isolated and treated at home with adequate medical and nursing attendance all recovered. This
gives a case mortality of 37.5 per 100 cases.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.—Twenty.eight cases of this disease were investigated during
the year. In two of these cases no particulars are obtainable as to attendance at confinement. In
respect of the remaining 26 cases, 10 were attended by a doctor at the confinement, and 16 by a
midwife.
In respect of the remaining 26 cases suffering from Ophthalmia Neonatorum, there is no
record as to treatment in one of these cases, and another case died at the age of two weeks.
In respect of the 24 remaining cases, the length of treatment varied from five days to seventy
days. In 22 cases the eyesight was unimpaired, in one case one eye was permanently injured, and
in the last case both eyes were permanently injured, and the child permanently blind.
Other Infectious Diseases.—These are referred to in the section dealing with Infectious
Diseases generally.
Infant Mortality.—Table No. 32.
Number of deaths of infants under 1 year from all causes ... 242
Number of deaths of infants under 1 year from diarrhoea and
enteritis 31
Infant Mortality Rate per 1,000 births 83