[Report 1914] / Medical Officer of Health, Turton Local Board / U.D.C.

  • Turton (England). Local Board.
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1914] / Medical Officer of Health, Turton Local Board / U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    1/12 (page 1)
    Report of Medical Officer of Health for 1914. To the Chairman and Members of the Urban District Council of Turton. Gentlemen, I have the honour of presenting to you my 34th Annual Report on the health and sanitary condition of the Urban District of Turton together with a summary of the sanitary work during the year 1914. My last Annual Report contained a descriptive account of the geographical and topographical features of the district which it is not necessary to repeat as there have not been any material variations. The various statistical items contained in this report are computed at a rate per thousand of the approximately estimated population at the middle period of the year with the exception of those relative to infantile mortality which are based upon the number of births during the year. The births of 195 living children were registered, 107 males, 88 females, equivalent to a rate of 15.3 for the year, which is 0-3 lower than the rate for the previous year and 27 lower than the mean of the preceding 5 years. The rate for the County during 1913 was 22'20 and for England and Wales 23^9, the rate for your district therefore shows a diminution of 6’g and 7^4 respectively. Although the decline in the birth rate may not be large it is steadily continuous and is gradually approaching towards equality with the death rate. I have substantial grounds for the belief that operative influences are the “ prudential check ” and, in a less degree, delib¬ erately induced abortion during the early months of pregnancy. The proportion of illegitimate births in the whole district is small, only three being registered during the year. Turton, Edgworth, and Bradshaw Wards were credited with one each. The following table shows the distribution of births and the rate over the four divisions into which your district is most