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11
Bacteriological Work—During the year 157 throat swabs were
taken for suspected diphtheria, 59 by private medical practitioners, 30
by the Medical Officer or School Nurse, and the remainder at the
hospital. In addition, three specimens of sputum were examined for the
tubercle bacillus, one blood for the typhoid fever reaction, and 11
throat swabs from contacts for the organism of cerebro-spinal fever.
Disinfection was carried out as usual.
INFANT MORTALITY AND MEASURES TAKEN
FOR ITS PREVENTION.
Infant Mortality.
Net deaths under 1 year of age 46
Rate per thousand births 82.28
Average rate for preceding 5 years 82.8
Death rate per thousand births of legitimate
infants 72.2
Death rates per thousand births of illegitimate
infants 149.5
The time for uttering platitudes as to the diminishing birth rate
and the necessity for conserving infant life has surely passed and the day
has dawned when the community has begun to realise the responsibility
which is placed upon it for saving the lives of its infants which, for
various preventible reasons have been allowed to be lost in the past.
It will be remembered that a Health Visitor was appointed in
1914, after the adoption of the Notification of Births Act, and that
the present permanent Health Visitor left to undertake military nursing
duty in May, 1915. Since that time the duties have been carried out
by five part-time Health Visitors, who have not had the advantage of
being trained, but who have willingly and to the best of their ability
undertaken the work as far as their other duties permitted.
In March, 1917, on receipt of a letter from the Local Government
Board, again drawing attention to the question, and on a report from
the Medical Officer of Health, the Health Committee gave careful
attention to the subject of the most suitahle measures to be taken to