[Report 1955] / Medical Officer of Health, Roxburgh County Council.

  • Roxburghshire (Scotland). County Council.
Date:
1955
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1955] / Medical Officer of Health, Roxburgh County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH FOR SCOTLAND AND THE CONVENER AND COUNTY COUNCILLORS OF THE COUNTY OF ROXBURGH. _ir Graces. My Lords. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to submit for your consideration my Annual Report the year ended 31st December, 1955. ttistics The vital statistics show a marked improvement on those of 1954. The th rate from tuberculosis was almost halved, and the infantile mortality rate <ched a new low record of 18 per 1,000 live births. The neo-natal death rate, the death rate in children less than 4 weeks old, also reached a new low <ord of II per 1.000 live births. Of the 630 deaths occurring in the County, ii were between 75 and 85 years of age, and 10% were over the age of 85. mcer was again the largest cause of death apart from the various diseases the circulatory system. In 1953 deaths from cancer accounted for 14.6% all deaths, in 1954 the figure was 13.6%, while in 1955 it was 17.4%. Ol v 112 deaths from cancer 41% were persons under 65 years of age. Deaths im tuberculosis constituted less than 1 % of the total deaths. ire of Mothers and Y oung Children A new combined Maternity and Child Welfare and Dental Clinic was caned in Kelso in July. This Clinic satisfies a pressing need in the area and, «rt from its main objects, it is accommodating sessions held by the visiting tthopaedic Surgeon, Psychiatrist and Opthalmologist, and providing a centre -■ the Speech Therapy and Chiropdy Services. Owing to the shortage of staff and inability to fill a vacant post, it iind impossible to maintain an adequate school dental service, let alone fulfil ir obligations to expectant mothers. A small number of pre-school children i re treated during the year. . . In a rural area such as Roxburghshire, the combined duties of health visitor *d district nurse arc carried out by the district nurse. A total of 12,164 visits nre paid to the homes of pre-school children in the County. By these visits uny defects which will respond to treatment arc discovered before the child >»es to school. This has been especially true of speech defects, and there was increasing demand for the services of the Speech I herapists for pre-school iildren. lelfare Foods As the service was only taken over by local authorities in July, 1954, a »mparison of a normal year’s working cannot be made. A comparison of the eriod July - December, 1954, with July - December, 1955, shows that during te last six months the uptake of all welfare foods rose. ticcination and Immunisation The general level of protection against diphtheria remained very satisfactory, »id for the fifth year in succession no case of diphtheria was notified in the tounty. The number of chillrcn vaccinated against smallpox is fairly satisfactory, *it I am certain that the number of children notified as being vaccinated is ♦ss than the actual number protected. If such a situation exists throughout the puntry as a whole, the percentage of the population protected is much bettci nan official figures would indicate. Combined diphtheria-pertussis vaccination sas been offered to parents and the majority avail themselves of the added