London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1902
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1903
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23
The infantile mortality in East and North-West Battersea
was not only much lower than the decennial average, but well
below the figures in 1902. In South-West Battersea there
was an increase from 75 in 1902 to 88 in 1903, there being
an increased number of deaths from broncho-pneumonia.
The following table gives the age distribution of the deaths under one year in 1903. The mortality was high in the first week, and 347 deaths, or more than one-half the total, occurred in the first three months :—
| DISTRICT. | Age in Months. | ~~~1 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 Month. | Total Under 1 Month. | 1- | 2- | 3- | 4- | 5- | 6- | 7- | 8- | 9- | 10- | 11- | Total Under 1 Year. | ||||
| Under 1 week. | 1 and under 2 weeks. | 2 and under 3 weeks. | 3 and under 4 weeks. | ||||||||||||||
| East Battersea | 59 | 12 | 17 | 15 | 103 | 30 | 23 | 17 | 16 | 24 | 23 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 316 |
| North-West Battersea | 50 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 89 | 27 | 36 | 11 | 14 | 17 | l7 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 268 |
| South-West Battersea | 15 | 1 | 2 | – | 18 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 87 |
| Borough of Battersea | 124 | 28 | 32 | 26 | 210 | 74 | 63 | 35 | 36 | 50 | 45 | 34 | 27 | 37 | 30 | 30 | 671 |
The chief causes of infant deaths are set out as follows :—
| Cause of Death. | No. of Deaths. | Rate per 1,000 Births | Rate per 1,000 Births, 1902. | Rate per 1,000 Births, 1901 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | 28 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 5.5 |
| Whooping Cough | 32 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 7.5 |
| Diarrhœa | 78 | 15.7 | 17.3 | 35.2 |
| Enteritis | 23 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 3.7 |
| Tuberculosis | 24 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 6.9 |
| Premature Birth | 110 | 22.1 | 21.1 | 19.9 |
| Debility, Marasmus | 71 | 14.3 | 14.4 | 16.7 |
| Convulsions | 13 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 4.3 |
| Bronchitis | 57 | 11.5 | 13.6 | 12.9 |
| Pneumonia | 77 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 18.7 |
| Suffocated in bed | 1 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 3.3 |
| All other causes | 157 | 31.6 | 28.7 | 28.4 |
| Total | 671 | 135 | 136 | 163 |