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50 infantile mortality.
recorded at Camden Square, have also been specially extracted month by month, but, as
might be expected from what has already been written, no cause for the variation was
disclosed thereby. The abnormality in seasonal distribution recorded in the Borough last
year was due to purely local causes, and the same conclusion is, probably, but not so certainly,
true with respect to 1907.
In looking for some other explanation for the change, the specially large proportions of
deaths in the Infirmary invited attention. Of the 27 deaths which occurred in the fourth
quarter of last year, 14 (or 52 per cent.) took place in that Institution, while in 1907, the
proportion was 54 per cent. There has been a considerable increase during the period under
review in the proportions of diarrhœal deaths occurring in all institutions, but the proportions
dying in the Infirmary during the last quarters of the two years mentioned, are quite
exceptional. The Medical Superintendent of the Infirmary has kindly furnished information
as to the dates of admission and the nature of the illness for which admission was sought—
for all the patients who died from "diarrhoea" in the last half of each of the years 1905-10.
There is nothing in the information supplied which explains the peculiarity in time distribution
of the mortality from this cause. At present, therefore, no explanation is forthcoming but it
is hoped that some statistical work now in hand with reference to infantile mortality—of
which Appendix B is a preliminary note—may help to clear up the question.
As in previous vears arrangements were made for obtaining information of cases of
diarrhoea in young children under the care of the Poor Law Medical Officers and the
Physicians of the Out-Patients' Departments of the Hospitals. Altogether 111 cases came
to the knowledge of the Department between the beginning of June and the middle of
October, by which date the numbers of fresh cases had fallen to one during the week. The
subsequent deaths from diarrhoeal diseases during the fourth quarter, however, showed that
the search for cases was given up too early.
Of the 111 patients, 100 were under 2 years of age and 11 over. The latter cases have,
therefore, been excluded from the present consideration although the patients were visited by
the Staff in the same way as the younger children. At St. Mary's Hospital 66 patients were
treated, at the Children's, 24, while of the remaining 10, 4 were under the care of the
District Medical Officers, 2 were found by the Staff of the Department, 2 were reported by
the parents, and 1 by an interested friend. The number of cases is too small for a detailed
analysis, and it will suffice to give the following brief particulars.
Dates of attack.—In June, 16 cases; in July, 17; in August, 26; in September, 35; in
October (lst-8th), 4.
Age and Sex.—56 of the patients were males, 34 being aged less than one year, and 44
females, 22 aged under one.
Feeding.—Of the infants under one year, only 7 males and 4 females were breast-fed, 10
males and 7 females were having a mixed diet of breast and bottle, and the
remainder were bottle-fed, but only 4 males (no females) were reported to be fed by
the " long-tube" bottle.
Among the 100 patients known during life there were three deaths, all males, 2 being
aged less than one vear (both bottle-fed—one, "long-tube bottle") and one, 1-2 years. It is
remarkable that, on the numbers given, the fatality works out exactly the same as that
recorded in 1909, viz., 3 per cent., which was only 0.6 per cent. less than that recorded in
1908 (3.6 per cent.) Very much higher fatality rates have been given in reports from other