[Report 1949] / Medical Officer of Health, County of Zetland (Shetland Islands).

  • Shetland (Scotland). County Council.
Date:
1949
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1949] / Medical Officer of Health, County of Zetland (Shetland Islands). Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/26 (page 5)
    In Inly a nurse assumed duty in Fapa Stour. This is the first time this island has had a resident nurse.. In September two nurses attended a short refresher course in Edinburgh on tuberculosis nursing. One nurse went south in August to obtain the certificate for gas and air analgesia. Useful co-operation and help have been given by persons previously interested in the District Nursing Associations in different parts of the county, and during the year various associations have handed over valuable equipment and property for the use of the county domiciliary nursing- service. CARE OF MOTHERS AND YOUNG CHILDREN In the burgh of Lerwick the Child Welfare Centre at Killhead was open for two afternoons each week, and the nurse in** charge also visited infants in their homes. 321 different children attended this clinic during the year. Outside the burgh, infant welfare visits were performed by the various nurses in their areas, and a total of 5,4-66 visits were made to 1,181 children. As in previous years the nurses’ records show that it is possible for them to keep in touch with very young children with a greater measure of completeness by means of home visiting than by any system which depends on attendance at a clinic. The infant mortality rate and other statistics concerning child health have already been discussed on pages 2 and 3 of this report” statistical information about maternity and child welfare work will be found on page 1 of the appendix to this report. Breast-feeding The following table showing the extent to which breast feeding is practised in different areas of the county is interesting. The information is obtained from the District Nurses’ Infant Welfare Cards for the year 1945-1949 inclusive- as information was available for practically every birth which occurred during these years the table gives a very complete record. Breast feeding is practised less in the burgh of Lerwick than in any of the country areas. Other areas do not differ much from each other except that Whalsay shows slightly better figures than any other district.