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6
Vital Statistics.
Still births notified numbered 19: 11 were notified by Doctors
and 8 by Midwives.
The object of the Notification of Births Act is to enable the
Medical Officer of Health to receive information of the birth of a
child as early as possible. Before the passing of the Act this
information was obtained from the weekly returns of the Registrar
of Births; a period of six weeks is allowed in which to register the
birth of a child, and in a great many cases registration is postponed
until near the end of this period; this meant that in many cases
the child was six or seven weeks old before the Medical Officer of
Health became acquainted with the fact of its birth. A very large
percentage of infants die before reaching this age, and others have
been permanently injured by the neglect and ignorance that are
such common causes of infantile mortality. Notification provides
the information which enables the Medical Officer of Health to put
into action the work of the Health Visitors and the various
measures under the Maternity and Child Welfare Act at the most
opportune moment for effecting a diminution of infant mortality,
and it is to be regretted that those in attendance at the birth do not
comply with the requirements of the Act in every case.
The percentage notified in accordance with the Act during
1922 (92 per cent) has improved compared with the previous year.
Medical Practitioners and Midwives practisiug in the District have
been written to, reminding them of their obligations under the Act,
and I hope there will be in future few omissions to notify.
DEATHS.
The number of deaths registered in the Urban District during
the year was 289. Of these 27 were deaths of persons who were
not "residents" of the District, and 262 were deaths of "residents."
To obtain the correct number of deaths, representing the true
mortality amongst the population, it is necessary to add 115
deaths of "residents" whose deaths occurred outside the Urban.
District.
The corrected number of deaths belonging to the district = 377.