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21
It will be seen- that although in East and South-West
Battersea, and in the Borough as a whole, the infantile mortality
was higher in 1904 than in previous years, in North-West
Battersea it was lower. There has been a great and progressive
reduction in infantile mortality in North-West Battersea since
1901. The Council's Infants Milk Depot is situated in that
sub-district, and most of the babies fed on the milk live there.
This has been probably an important factor in the reduction.
Five deaths were recorded as due to suffocation in bed or
"over-lying." The following table gives the number of deaths
from this cause, occurring on each day of the week in each
year since 1896. The day refers to the morning on which the
death was discovered, and it will be seen that by far the
greater number of deaths were discovered on Sunday morning.
This suggests that the over-lying takes place when the parents
are under the influence of alcohol, and there are other facts
which support this view. These deaths should be taken into
account, therefore, in estimating the mortality due to alcohol.
That this form of suffocation appears at all in our death returns
is a great stain on this country, but until firmer measures are
adopted in dealing with the parents, it is to be feared that it
will continue to appear.