[Report 1910] / Medical Officer of Health, Aspull U.D.C.

  • Aspull (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1910] / Medical Officer of Health, Aspull U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Th© year 1906 shows the nearest approach to the favourable figures for the joresent year, but even then the death-rate did not fall below 15.8 per lOOO. The Rate for the whole counti’y as given by the Registrar-General is 13.4 per 1000, so that the Aspull figures may be considered as being exceptionally good. Infantile Mortality.—The number of Infants dying under 1 year of age was 37. The corresponding rate therefore is 138.06 per 1000 births. This is 24.15 per 1000 below the rate for last year, and 23.45 per 1000 below the average rate for the jaast 10 years. The Rate for the whole counti'y is 106 per 1000 births. Of these 37 deaths, 15 or 40 per cent, of the total— occurred under the age of 1 month, and were certified as being due to Premature Birth, Congenital Defects, and Atrophy or Marasmus,—the greatest number being assigned to the first- named cause, which accounted for 8 deaths. This is doubtless due to the fact that exjDectant mothers are—as a result of defective knowledge,—not so careful of their health as they might be; their diet is in many cases unsuitable, they are often obliged to continue their domestic duties up to the last moment; many who are wage-earners remain at their occupation for an excessive period, and finally when the infant is born its reserve of vitality is so small, and its environment and treatment so unsuitable that it succumbs. Much could be done to remedy this waste of infant life by means of suitable instruction imparted to the mothers, and I would again put forward the suggestion contained in my last Annual Report, viz.,—that your Council should provide a supply of leaflets dealing with the subject, and that these should be distributed through the dis- trict. Such leaflets may now be obtained quite cheaply from several publishing firms, and if your Council will authorize me I will obtain a selection of these, and advise as to the most suit- able for the conditions prevailing in this neighbourhood. In view of the falling Birth-rate it is important that all children born should be conserved in as healthy a state as i^ossible. and a further step in this direction would be the adoption of the Notification of Births Act, and the appointment of a Health Visitor to assist in the instruction of the mothers.