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 1905
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1905
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27
The reduction in mortality, as compared with 1904, was
confined to East and South-West Battersea, the rate in the
North-Western sub-district being one per 1,000 higher than
in the previous year. This is partly due to the fact that the
epidemic of measles to which reference has already been made,
was particularly fatal in North-West Battersea.
The chief causes of infant deaths are set out as follows:—
| Cause of Death. | No. of Deaths. | Rate per 1,000 Births, 1905. | Rate per 1,000 Births, 1904. | Rate per 1,000 Births, 1903. | Rate per 1,000 Births, 1902. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | 31 | 6.6 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 5.0 |
| Whooping Cough | 17 | 3.5 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 6.1 |
| Diarrhœa | 104 | 21.4 | 32.7 | 15.7 | 17.3 |
| Enteritis | 27 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| Tuberculosis | 27 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 5.8 |
| Premature Birth | 121 | 24.5 | 19.5 | 22.1 | 21.1 |
| Debility, Marasmus | 41 | 8.4 | 12.1 | 14.3 | 14.4 |
| Convulsions | 14 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| Bronchitis | 66 | 13.6 | 14.6 | 11.5 | 13.6 |
| Pneumonia | 47 | 9.7 | 9.2 | 15.5 | 14.2 |
| Suffocated in bed | 7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.9 |
| All other causes | 131 | 27.0 | 33.3 | 31.6 | 28.7 |
| Total | 633 | 131 | 147 | 135 | 136 |
It will be noted that the chief causes of death may be
arranged in three main groups, viz., (1) the diarrhœal diseases
(diarrhoea and enteritis), (2) the respiratory diseases (bronchitis
and pneumonia) and (3) premature birth. The mortality from
the latter cause shows a distinct increase since 1901, when it
was 19.9 per 1,000 births.
Since the end of 1904, the local registrars have supplied the
Council with weekly returns, giving the home addresses of
all infants born in the Borough, and many of these homes are
visited by Mrs. Young, who gives practical instruction to the
mothers in the feeding and rearing of infants. 909 homes
were visited by Mrs. Young during the year. In England,
however, births need not be registered until forty-two days
from the date of birth, and many infants have died before the
homes can be visited by the officers of the Sanitary Authority;
but in London, this difficulty has been met to a large extent by