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 1909
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1909
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In the next table is shown the incidence of mortality from the chief diseases of infancy in the first and second trimesters and the last six months of the first year respectively:—
| Certified Causes of Death. | Months. 0-3. | Months. 3-6. | Months. 6-12. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diarrhœa | 29 | 28 | 29 | 86 |
| Prematurity | 88 | 1 | — | 89 |
| Marasmus and debility | 19 | 10 | 6 | 35 |
| Developmental disease | 18 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Bronchitis | 28 | 10 | 13 | 51 |
| Pneumonia | 8 | 16 | 26 | 50 |
| Convulsions | 10 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| Suffocation | 2 | — | — | 2 |
| Measles | 1 | — | 13 | 14 |
| Whooping cough | 5 | 4 | 17 | 26 |
| Tuberculosis | 2 | 4 | 10 | 16 |
| Meningitis | — | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Miscellaneous | 44 | 10 | 16 | 70 |
| 254 | 87 | 137 | 478 |
A glance at the above tables shows (a) that the mortality is
heaviest in the first three months of life, more than half the deaths
occurring during that age period ; (b) that three groups of diseases
between them account for 331 (or 69.2 per cent.) of the total
deaths of infants during 1909, viz., prematurity, respiratory
diseases and diarrhoea.
Looking more in detail into these figures, it will be seen that
of the 478 deaths of infants 144 (or 30 per cent.) were due to
congenital or developmental diseases (which include prematurity,
marasmus, atrophy, debility, etc.), such infants not having the
necessary vitality to survive.
The diarrhoeal group of diseases show a decrease in infantile
mortality, as compared with 1908, probably, to some extent at
least, the result of the (favourable) meteorological conditions prevailing
during the summer season, viz., wet and cold.
The respiratory group shows a slight increase as compared
with 1908.
The causes responsible for these 478 infant deaths were inquired
into by the Health Department. The preventive measures
for dealing with this important subject have been fully described
in past annual reports, so that it will be unnecessary to do more
than briefly recapitulate them. These measures may be summarised
as
1. Notification of Births Act.
2. Health Visitors.
3. Milk Depôt.