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
Chelsea 1959
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1959
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-14 -
INFANT MORTALITY
It will be seen when compared with 1958 that the number of
deaths under this heading has exactly halved, and of this total
seventy-five per cent had not attained the age of four weeks.
Mortality was attributed to the following causes:-
| Males | Females | |
|---|---|---|
| Broncho Pneumonia | 1 | 2 |
| Asphyxia | 1 | 1 |
| Hyaline Membrane Disease | 1 | 1 |
| Prematurity | - | 2 |
| Atelectasis | 1 | - |
| Cerebral Thrombosis | 1 | • - |
| Meningitis | 1 | - |
During the ten years 1925 to 1934. 465 infants under the
age of one year died, thus giving an annual average of 46.5 for
that period. In the years 1950 to 1959, deaths aggregated 190,
or an annual average of 19.
The sharp fall in the number of deaths under this particular
heading was due mainly to the fact that only two instances of
prematurity were recorded during the year as compared with nine
in 1958.
It will be noted that fifty per cent of the total deaths
recorded occurred before the age of one week, and in fact none
in the period of six months to a year.
The actual periods at which mortality was recorded are as follows :-
| Under 1 week | Under 4 weeks | 4 weeks to 3 months | 3 to 6 months | 6 to 12 months | Total under 1 year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 6 |
| Females | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | — | 6 |
| 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 12 |