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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 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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11
Infant Mortality.
During 1955 the deaths of 43 infants under 1 year of age were
re gistered as belonging to Battersea. The total number of live births
re gistered during the year was 1,740 giving an infant mortality rate
of 24.71 per 1,000 live births as compared with 18.99 in 1954 and
18.56 in 1953.
The infant mortality rate in England and Wales during 1955
Was 24.9.
The following table sets out the causes of death in detail.
Infant Mortality, 1955. Nett deaths from stated causes at various ages under 1 year.
| CAUSES OF DEATH | AGE PERIODS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 24 hours | 1-7 days | Weeks | Total under 4 weeks | Months | Total deaths under 1 year | Percentage of Total | |||||||||||||||||
| 1-2 | 2-3 | 3-4 | 1-3 | 3-6 | 6-9 | 9-12 | |||||||||||||||||
| M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F | ||
| Pneumonia… | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 11.6 | |||||||||||||||
| Bronchtis | 1 | 1 | J | 2.3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Meningococcal infections | 1 | 1 | 2.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Congenital malformations | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 20.9 | |||||||||||
| Other defined and ill-defined diseases:- | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 42.0 | |||||||||||||
| Prematurity Other causes | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 20.9 | ||||||||||||
| TOTALS | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 19 | 100.0 | |||||||
| 13 | 15 | 2 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 43 | |||||||||||||||
| Percentage of total | 30.2 | 35.0 | 4.6 | 69.8 | 14.0 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 7.0 | 100.0 | M. 55.9 | |||||||||||||
| F. 44.1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
There were 30 deaths of infants during the first four weeks of life
(or 69.8 per cent. of the total infant deaths) as compared with
25 de aths (or 75.8 per cent.) in 1954 and a percentage for the
quinquennium 1950-1954 of 62.7.
Table showing Deaths of Infants under 1 day, under 1 week and under 4 weeKs from 1950 to 1955.
| Year | Under 24 hours | 1 to 7 days | 1 to 4 weeks | Total under 4 weeks | Percentage deaths under 4 weeks of total infant deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 14 | 15 | 5 | 34 | 66.7 |
| 1951 | 8 | 21 | 3 | 32 | 61.5 |
| 1952 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 17 | 54.8 |
| 1953 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 18 | 54.5 |
| 1954 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 75.8 |
| Mean | 10 | 12 | 3 | 25 | 62.7 |
| 1955 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 30 | 69.8 |