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Although it is true that other factors have favoured a low mortality, there can be no doubt
that the unprecedented fall in the number of deaths has been very largely due to the excellent work
of the infant welfare centres and the Health Visitors. In the Metropolis, whilst the general death
rate has fallen steadily since 1870, the mortality amongst the infantile population, in spite of notable
sanitary reforms, remained stationary until the year 1900. From this onwards, as the table shows,
the infant death rate has continued to fall.

The infantile death rate in North Kensington is generally much higher than in South
Kensington, but in the year under review there has been a very gratifying improvement in the
northern wards, whilst the rate in the south is much higher than usual. It is true that the
Council's Health Visitors and the workers at the Infant Welfare Centres perform much more work
in the north than in the south of the Borough, but the decrease in the infantile death rate in North
Kensington is too marked to justify the credit being given entirely to these lady workers.
During the larger portion of the year there was ample work at good wages for the working
classes, and this fact is reflected in the improved rate. There is, however, another factor which
influenced the rates for the year. The infantile mortality rate is the number of deaths in
the year of children under twelve months of age to every 1,000 children born in the year,
and the unusually large number of children born in 1920 taken in conjunction with the comparatively
small number of children born in 1919 and still under twelve months of age on
January 1st, 1920, is a factor of importance in determining the low rate by reason of the fact
that the comparatively small number of 1919 children under twelve months of age in the early
part of 1920 would not, normally, die in numbers proportionate to the enormous increase in
the number of births in 1920 and, consequently, there would result a reduction in the infantile