Health Committee's report / City of Melbourne.

  • Melbourne (Vic.). Health Committee.
Date:
[1949]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Health Committee's report / City of Melbourne. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    3/48 (page 1)
    Report of the Health Committee for the Year 1949 Members of Committee: Councillor Boulton (Chairman). Councillor Barry. Councillor Sir Raymond Connelly (deceased 4th May, 1949). Councillor Evans (appointed 23rd June, 1949). Councillor Madden. Councillor Sir Harold Gengoult Smith. Councillor Selleck. The Health Committee submits, for the information of the Council, a report regarding the work carried out under the direction of the Committee during the year ended 31st December, 1949. REPORTS OF OFFICERS A report by the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. John Dale) upon the work of the Health Department during 1949, and upon the health of the inhabitants of the City generally, is attached hereto, together with reports by Dr. Hilda Kincaid upon child welfare work; by Dr. Hilda Bull, upon infectious diseases; by Mr. T. G. O. Jordan, the Chief Health Inspector, on the routing work of the Depart¬ ment; by Messrs. Dunn, Son and Stone, City Analysts; by Mr. Reeve, Dental Officer, upon the work of dental centres at Kensington and North Carlton, and by the Senior Bacteriologist of the Bacteriology Department, University of Melbourne. Full details of the various health activities of the Council are contained in these reports. CHILD WELFARE The report of Dr. Hilda Kincaid upon the work of the Child Welfare Branch gives details of the year’s activities, and statistics for the year reveal that, although the number of births registered in the City (1,790) was very dose to the number registered in 1948 (1,786), it is still approximately 12^% below the maximum number (2,033) recorded in 1947. The infant mortality rate computed by the Government Statist, 18.99 per 1,000 births, is most satisfactory, and is the lowest ever recorded. The neo-natal death rate was 13.9 and the death rate of children between the age of one month and one year was 5.03. It is interesting to note that an analysis of the birth notifications of the City for the year showed that approximately 84% of the babies had parents who were both Australian born, 10.8% had parents one or both of whom were not of British birth. Approximately 7% of the births were ex-nuptial. The outstanding adversity of the year was the outbreak of poliomyelitis which began early in March and became widespread throughout the State. On the advice of the Consultative Council for Poliomyelitis, kindergartens were closed during the last quarter of the year, tonsillectomies were postponed, whooping cough injections were discouraged and extraction of teeth limited. The Committee again continued its assistance to parents in indigent circumstances by the supply of milk, the total expenditure for the year being £897, of which the amount of £464 was refunded by parents. The annual grants made by the Council to kindergartens and creches for the year 1949 were the same as for previous years, viz., £1,000 and £500 respec¬ tively. I he annual grant of £750 was again made by the Council to the Victorian Civil Ambulance Service. The total amount expended by the Council on the conduct and mainten¬ ance of the Child Welfare Centres in the City of Melbourne during 1949 was £9,335/2/5, of which £2,112/5/7 was contributed by the State Government. The Committee desires to again record its appreciation of the services of all those who have contributed to the carrying out of Child Welfare Work throughout the year, especially the Committees of Management of the Lady Huntingfield Free Kindergarten, the Flopetoun Free Kindergarten and the Fawkner Park Pre-School Centre, and the voluntary workers in all the other kindergartens and creches in the City of Melbourne. l