View report page

9. Premature Infants.
During the year 30 premature infants were born to mothers belonging
to the Borough. 10 of these births took place at home, and 20 in hospital
or nursing home. 29 of these (96.6 per cent.) were alive at the end of one
month.
10. Infantile Mortality Rate.
The infantile mortality rate for the year was 31.3 per 1,000; deaths in
infants under 1 year totalled 35, 21 of these ocurring within four weeks of
birth.
Causes were as follows:—
Lung conditions 16
Gastro enteritis 5
Birth injuries 6
Prematurity 7
Other causes 1
11. Health Visiting.
Number of visits paid during the year by Health Visitors:—
To children under 1 year of age—First visits 1,344
Total visits 2,568
To children between one and five years of age 1,139
12. Child Life Protection.
The Health Visitors are appointed Child Life Protection Visitors under
Part VII of the Public Health Act, 1936. Eight Foster Mothers and eleven
Foster Children were on the register at the end of the year.
A total of 176 visits was paid.
Section C. Sanitary Circumstances of the Area.
1. Water Supply.
The Water Service throughout the Borough is supplied by the Metropolitan
Water Board. Routine tests carried out by the Board reveal that
the supply has been satisfactory in quality and quantity.
2. Drainage and Sewerage.
I am indebted to the Borough Engineer and Surveyor for the following
information:—
(a) Eastern Sewage Disposal Works. These works were redesigned in
1938, since when they have been extremely satisfactory. Effluents of the
standard required by the Essex County Council have been obtained.
(b) Southern Sewage Disposal Works. Had it not been for the outbreak
of war these works would have been treated in a similar manner to
those at the Eastern Works, and whereas reasonable effluents have been
obtained it has now been agreed by the Ministry of Health that extensions
are very necessary and work is in hand on the preparation of the scheme
(c) Western Sewage Disposal Works. These works are obsolete and
require constant supervision to ensure even the minimum standard discharge
It is anticipated that the works will be abandoned and the flow diverted
into the Chingford system by the end of 1948.
10