[Report 1944] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City.

  • Edinburgh (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1944
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1944] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/74 (page 2)
    parative absence of severe weather which was reflected in a decrease in the number of deaths from respiratory diseases. Deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis (255), from non-pulmonary tuberculosis (47), and from diphtheria (12), were all the lowest ever recorded in the City. These figures, together with the lowest infant mortality rate already mentioned, earned for the last phase of the war a note- worthy place in the health annals of the City. 3. Child Welfare Activities.—It is fair to assume that the progressive fall in infant mortality has been influenced in some measure by the association of mothers and children with the medical officers and health visitors of the Maternity and Child Welfare Department. About a year ago the Public Health Committee recognised the value of this preventive work by increasing the number of health visitors engaged on child welfare duties from 21 to 31. They also authorised the employment of three additional medical officers to advise at the clinics, and the erection of child welfare centres at Firrhill and West Pilton, bringing the number of centres up to 22. Since 1940 the infant mortality rates have been 68, 66, 56, 54 and 51 per thousand births. This steady reduction is in contrast to the fluctuations which occurred during the last war when, beginning in 1914 the rates were 110, 132, 100, 123 and 94 per thousand. A point emphasised a year ago was that the neonatal mortality rate (that is, the deaths under four weeks) has not diminished in the same ratio as the mortality of children aged from one month to twelve months. This did not change materially during 1944, when the ueonatal mortality rate was 27-7 per thousand births as compared with 27-3 in the previous year. A promising field of investigation is indicated here, and we are hoping that obste- tricians and paediatricians will before long be able to point the way to a further saving in ‘child life. Meanwhile, it is satisfactory to record that the maternal death-rate remained at practically the same record low figure as in 1943, namely 2-0 per thousand births. At the child welfare centres, 1,183 clinics were held for ante-natal supervision, 1,995 for health supervision and the treatment of minor ailments, and 820 for ultra-violet ray therapy. All these figures showed an increase on the previous year, and there were corresponding increases in the number of attendances. The teaching of mothercraft to girls iu senior classes of schools was continued by four health visitors seconded for the purpose, and was welcomed by the young trainees, who looked forward with pleasure to practical instruction in the washing, clothing and feeding of babies. The additional maternity beds provided at the Western General Hospital were appreciated by mothers without help or whose home conditions made hospital- isation desirable. The new maternity unit at the Eastern General Hospital—a com- pact and well-equipped organisation—has enlarged our facilities still more, and is proving a boon to women in the eastern district of the City and to Leith, which has realised the need of a maternity hospital for many years. A noteworthy feature of this new unit is the linking together of voluntary and local authority interests. The Elsie Inglis Memorial Hospital, whose territory is chiefly the eastern district of Edinburgh, provide the medical staff and the nurse-trainees, while the Corporation supply all the hospital services, including administration.