[Report 1930] / Medical Officer of Health, Fife County Council.

  • Fife (Scotland). County Council.
Date:
1930
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1930] / Medical Officer of Health, Fife County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/138 (page 12)
    The infantile mortality rate of the Landward Area of the County j i 1930 is the lowest ever recorded. In 1926, the rate was 72, the low< figure reached prior to 1930. 1 The infantile mortality rate of Scotland during 1930 was 83 : t; rate of the County Districts of Scotland was 69. It is pleasing thereh i to be in a position to record a rate of 63 for the Landward County. The most common causes of infant deaths during 1930 were bronchit pneumonia, diarrhoea and enteritis, and diseases of early infancy a malformation. Only one infant death occurred during 1930 from measles and no from whooping-cough—two specific diseases which, although oft regarded by the laity as not particularly serious, are the most frequeil causes of the death of young children and consequently usually pro important factors in high infantile mortality rates. It is satisfactory to note that, of the four County Districts, Kii caldy has the lowest infantile mortality rate for 1930, viz., 54, each the other Districts recording 71. This is the lowest rate on record i I Kirkcaldy and is all the more pleasing as prior to 1917, the infant ! mortality rate of the District was almost invariably well over 100 a: i in 1908 was 139. Doubtless, an important factor in the great savi' of infant lives which has occurred in Kirkcaldy District has been t active housing policy pursued by the late District Committee in t i interval since the Great War. The following Table shows the infantile mortality rates of the fo County Districts and of the County for the past eighteen years :— Year. Cupar District. Dunfermline District. Kirkcaldy District. St. Andrews District. Fife. County 1913 60 81 98 89 87 1914 49 113 108 74 101 1915 71 111 128 105 114 1916 54 76 100 63 81 1917 60 99 102 63 94 1918 83 103 98 85 97 1919 67 90 91 65 86 1920 78 84 89 32 81 1921 74 88 85 48 82 1922 85 101 104 77 99 1923 77 80 77 64 78 1924 72 101 83 47 84 1925 63 84 80 52 76 1926 71 60 84 47 72 1927 64 99 81 98 86 1928 88 80 93 31 81 1929 100 72 68 81 74 1930 71 71 54 71 63