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22
It should be noted that as some of the children fed commenced
taking the milk towards the end of the previous year, the periods
shown in the above table are somewhat understated.
Of the 567 infants fed from the Milk Depot, 363 were admitted
during 1909, and 274 of these were admitted on the recommendation
of medical practitioners, and the remainder by hospitals, midwives,
or the Council's Health Visitors, etc.; 255 of the 363 children
admitted during the year were more or less seriously ill on
admission, the nature of the illnesses comprising almost all the
diseases of infancy, congenital and wasting disease contributing
the largest quota.
The total number of deaths amongst the children fed from
the Milk Dep6t was 34, and the death-rate was, therefore, 59.9
per 1,000, as compared with 107, the general infantile mortality
rate for the Borough.
In connection with the Infants' Milk Dep6t, a large percentage
of the babies were brought to the weighing room weekly
or fortnightly to be weighed. This practice enables the Medical
Officer of Health to exercise supervision over the majority of the
infants on the Depot Register. Of the 567 infants admitted to
the Depot, 369 were brought to the weighing room to be weighed
periodically during the year, and 2,775 weights were recorded.
In addition 509 weights were taken of babies not fed on the
Borough Council Milk. As in past years this work has been
most ably superintended by Miss Moss, who is most successful
in her efforts to get a large number of mothers to attend regularly
for this useful purpose.

Senile Mortality.
During the year 1909, in the Borough of Battersea, 630 deaths
of persons aged 65 years and upwards were registered. The age
distribution of these deaths in the sub-districts is set out in the
following table: —