[Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Newport (Gwent) County Borough.

  • Newport (Wales). County Council.
Date:
1953
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Newport (Gwent) County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The primary and most efEective part of the work of Health Visitors is undouhtedly home visiting. Apart from the good which is done by means of personal advice and help “ in situ,” home visiting serves a valuable purpose in obtaining knowledge of many cases of pregnancy that would not otherwise come to the knowledge of the Department until too late to be helped, and in providing the cases for clinic and centres. Both the latter depend mainly on the work of the Health Visitor in the homes for their “ material.” Close correlation between the work of the Health Visitors, the Home Help Service and the Home Nurses is maintained in After Care. The co-operation of the Health Visitors is also enlisted in connection with the Nursery Schools under the control of the Education Authority. Children One to Five Years of Age 6,803 of such children received attention at the Clinic and Centres. The total attendances recorded were 10,353. 16,591 Home Visits were also paid to them. The total medical attendances of mothers and children under five years at the Clinic and Centres, including Orthopaedic and Auxiliary Clinics, were 30,652, compared with 33,108 in 1952, 33,061 in 1951, 34,122 in 1950, 32,261 in 1949, and 32,851 in 1948. Infant Feeding 85.0 per cent, of the newly-born infants were visited during 1953. The results of the usual enquiries in respect of methods of feeding during the first weeks of life were as follows ; — Average previous 1953 5 years per cent, per cent. Breast Milk only ... ... ... ... ... 67.1 ... 71.2 Breast Milk plus Artifical Food or Cow’s Milk 5.4 ... 6.4 Total Wholly or partly Breast-fed ... ... 72.5 ... 77.6 Artifical Food only ... ... ... ... 27.1 ... 21.1 Too weak to take nourishment ... ... ... 0.4 ... 1.6 The proportion of babies that received breast milk shows a decrease on the previous five years. 22.4 per cent of the babies were fed on cow’s milk—^22-.l per cent, receiving it in its dried form.