London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1909
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health 1909
This page requires JavaScript
12
Of the causes specified premature birth claimed the largest number of victims, bronchitis and
pneumonia coming second. From the following table it will be seen that the death rate from
prematurity has not participated in the very remarkable diminution in the mortality from all
causes:—
Infantile Deaths per 1,000 Births. 1901—5. 1909,
All causes 144 112
Prematurity 20 20
| Occupation. | Number of Mothers. |
|---|---|
| Laundry Women | 5 |
| Dyeing and Cleaning | 2 |
| Charwoman | 1 |
| Waitress | 1 |
| General Servant | 1 |
| House work only | 18 |
| Total | 30 |
Only two of the children were illegitimate.
The alleged causes of premature labour were:—
| Fright or shock | 6 cases |
| Washing at home or in laundry | 5 ,, |
| Falls down stairs or steps | 3 „ |
| Railway journey, moving house | 2 „ |
| Strain | 1 ,, |
| Scarlet Fever (1) Erysipelas (1) | 2 „ |
In eleven cases a history was obtained of previous pregnancies which had ended in premature birth, still birth or miscarriage:—
| CASE NUMBER. | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premature living births | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Still births | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Miscarriages | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Full time living births | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Total previous pregnancies | 2 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
The total number of previous pregnancies in the thirty cases investigated is shown in the following table:—
| Previous pregnancies | None | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 16 |
| Number of cases | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |