[Report 1912] / Medical Officer of Health, Harrogate Borough.

  • Harrogate (England). Borough Council. nb2014025795.
Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1912] / Medical Officer of Health, Harrogate Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/88 (page 11)
    The birth-rate in the different wards varies considerably, being highest in the Bilton Ward (23'6) and lowest in the West Ward (6-9). Notification of Births. The Notification of Births Act, 1907, has been adopted by the Harrogate Town Council, and came into operation on the 11th March, 1912. This Act requires all births to be reported to the Medical Officer of Health within 36 hours of their occurrence. The notification is to be made bv the father of the child if he is residing in the house when the birth takes place, and by any person in attendance upon the mother at the time of or within six hours after the birth. The Act also provides a penalty upon conviction for failure to notify. Still-births have also to be notified, provided the child has reached the 28th week of pregnancy. The object of this Act is to give the Sanitary Authority early information of the occurrence of births, so that early visits may be made by Health Visitors to births in poorer neighbourhoods and advice and instruction given to the mothers, with a view to reducing the great loss of infant life. All medical men and midwives practising in the town are provided with stamped letter-cards upon which to notify the births. No fee is pavable for this notification, and I wish to acknowledge here the great assistance which has been rendered by medical men and midwives in carrying out this Act. From the date of the adoption of the Act to the end of the year 354 births were notified ; 129 by medical men, 169 by midwives, and 56 by parents or other persons. In 46 instances the birth was not notified as required by the Act. Each of these unnotified births was enquired into, and in each instance it was found that the omission was due to ignorance. In no case was there any wilful refusal. Homes where a birth has taken place are visited by Miss Wardle, Health Visitor, an account of whose work is given later.