[Report 1947] / Medical Officer of Health, Penzance U.D.C. / Borough.

  • Penzance (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1947
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1947] / Medical Officer of Health, Penzance U.D.C. / Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    7. CHILD LIFE PROTECTION. There has been no lessening of the activity of this branch of the Maternity and Child Welfare service during 1947. Great demands have been made on the Borough foster mothers who have always responded well. The lack of a day nursery in the Borough frequently places the Health Visitors in a difficult position and on several occasions applications have been referred to Residential Nurseries beyond the Borough, and even beyond the County, because no facility has been available in Penzance. Waiting lists have been introduced for the foster homes in the Borough. In 1946 six foster mothers received thirty-one foster children as compared with 1947, when eight foster mothers received forty-one foster children. The adoption of two children has been approved by the Penzance Magistrates, and five children have been transferred to other areas for adoption. In each instance where a child has gone to another area pending adoption, an escort has been provided from this end. Prosecution for neglect. With the co-operation of the N.S.P.C.C. a case of neglect was proved, and a sentence of six months imprisonment imposed on the parents concerned. Subsequently the family of four children were placed under care and protection through the Education Authority. 8. INFANT MORTALITY. This was slightly lower than last year but the deaths of children under one year of age should not really be considered apart from the number of births. Recently there has been another outcry demanding a population policy and deploring the fall in the birthrate. The position, however, requires to be viewed on a larger scale and without going into economics, the facts are quite simple and very obvious. (a) There is still an excess of births over deaths in these islands, therefore the population is still increasing. (b) More and more persons are living to relatively old ages i.e.y beyond their useful working lives, and so have to be maintained by the efforts of others. (c) The present population is approaching fifty millions and even using the most scientific methods of farming, etc., we can only feed at the maximum 60 per cent from our own resources.