[Report 1908] / Medical Officer of Health, Doncaster County Borough.

  • Doncaster (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1908] / Medical Officer of Health, Doncaster County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/30 (page 6)
    The establishment of sterilised milk depots, at which milk especially prepared for in- fants can be obtained. The improvement of slum property. The increased attention to scavenging. Instruction of the girl in the hygiene of infant and domestic life. The adoption of the Notification of Births Act. No benefit can follow the adoption of the latter Act unless a Health Visitor is employed to carry the purposes of the Act into effect, but I would venture to suggest (1) that the Act should be adopted, and (2) that a Health Visitor should be engaged to carry out its purposes. For several years I have pointed out the desirability of such an appointment being made, but this year I desire to emphasize it with all the force at my command. The Local Government Board required a special table (Table V.) to be supplied, giving particulars of all the causes and ages at death of children who have succumbed under twelve months of age. From an examination of this year’s return, it will be found that of what may be termed “ unavoidable” deaths—that is, deaths resulting from such causes as premature birth (18), congenital defects (2), injury at birth (1), atrophy, debility, etc (11), no less than 32 deaths have occurred, a figure which is nearly equivalent to a fourth of our infantile mortality rate. Examining the other causes of death, it will be found that 4 deaths occurred from infectious diseases, 2 from measles, and 2 from whooping cough. From diarrhoeal diseases no less than 28 deaths were caused. From tuberculous diseases, 10, and to other causes 36 deaths were ascribed. The following are the Infantile Death-rates for the various Divisions of the Township : INFANTILE DEATH-RATES IN 1908. Doncaster. Balby. Wheatley. Combined Township. England and Wales. 147. 110-3. 97. 132-3. 121. The Infantile Death-rates for the various Wards are as follows : — Name of Wards. 1908 1907. 1909. No. of Births. Deaths under 1 Year of Age. Rate per 1,000 Births Registered. Rate per 1,000 Births Registered. Rate per 1,000 Births Registered. Central Ward 123 20 162 138 218 East Ward ... 66 8 121 162 104 North Ward ... 162 20 123 156 158 St. George’s ... 95 14 147 181 146 South Ward ... 146 22 150 128 164 West Ward ... 140 24 171 161 173 Borough of Doncaster 732 108 147 152 164 TUBERCULAR DISEASE. 46 Deaths from Tuberculous Diseases were registered during 1908, in contrast with 58 in in 1907, 37 in 1906, and 40 in 1905. Of this year’s cases, 34 were due to phthisis (consumption of the lungs) and 12 to other tuberculous diseases. Of the 34 cases of ” consumption,” 2 were of infants under 1 year of life, 1 of a child under 5 years, 7 were of young persons between 15 and 25, 23 were of adults between 25 and 65 years of age, and 1 was of 65 or upwards. In connection with this subject, I append three Tables. The first deals with deaths from phthisis alone.