View report page

as the figures dealt with are small, the rate does not give a true
impression of the facts, nor can a case of this nature be regarded as
any reflection cast upon the hospital or the general maternity and
child welfare services of the Borough.
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
Of a total of 505 live births, only 11 deaths of infants under one
year of age were registered. Of these, 5 were males and 6 females,
2 of the males being illegitimate children. This gives the low infantile
mortality rate of 21.78 per thousand live births, comparing well with the
figure of 21.36 in 1944 and 46.0 for England and Wales.
The district is to be congratulated on an exceptionally low figure
for infantile mortality. This figure is often taken as an index of the
general health and prosperity of the district as a whole. It is much
lower than the figure for England and Wales, and represents the results
of the labours of all services dealing with the preservation of infant life.
GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES
FOR THE AREA.
LABORATORY FACILITIES.

The Medical Officer of Health's laboratory in the Town Hall, commenced
in 1937, continues to fill a very important role in ensuring a
high standard of bacteriological purity in the milk and water supplies
of the district.
The scope of the routine work carried out is illustrated in the
following table:—
16