View report page

Causes of Death.
A careful study of the chief causes of infant deaths in the
district is necessary before any useful or practical scheme for
reducing infant mortality can be suggested. An inquiry was
carried out last year into a large number of infant deaths with a
view to obtaining additional information to supplement that given
in the death certificate. A special report dealing with that inquiry
and other matters related to it was issued, and a summary of it
can be found by reference to the Annual Report for 1907. It is
sufficient here to say that strong evidence was collected to support
the statement so often made in different reports presented to the
Council that a very large proportion of the infant deaths in the
district were preventable. Possibly at some future time it may
be realised that giving printed leaflets on the management of
babies to mothers, in most cases too busy to read them, is not
all that should be done. Hitherto the slight expense involved by