View report page

34
NOTIFICATION OF BIRTHS ACT, 1907.
This Act was adopted in this district on May 25th, 1909.
As will be seen from the particulars, it has worked well, and
has been of great benefit to the community. The results have
been obtained without friction, and it should be noticed that
97.85 per cent. of the births were notified under this Act, and
only 2.14 per cent. occurred of missed births, due to accidents
such as ignorance of the Act by locum tenens in the absence
of the ordinary medical attendant, medical men living elsewhere
and attending cases in the district, an occasional misunderstanding
between the persons responsible, etc.
The method of procedure adopted has been for the
health Visitor to pay a visit to the home three weeks after
the birth of the child if a doctor is in attendance, and ten to
fourteen days after if a non-medical person is in attendance.
At the visit particulars are obtained, printed matter containing
the usual information is left, and more or less personal
advice, according to the circumstances of the case. Further
visits are paid if deemed desirable from the information
obtained.
During the past year a great number of babies have been
red on dried milk. Coupons have been distributed enabling
the parents to obtain the food at a reduced cost, or
it has been supplied from a voluntary fund. The
particular brand used has been "Glaxo," and it has answered
its purpose extremely well. It seems to be well assimilated,
the babies thrive on it, and it is not so liable to contamination
as some of the condensed milks. Under suitable conditions,
it forms one way out of the difficulty of infant
feeding.