Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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15
From the above tables it is seen that 74.7 per cent. of the 923
children in South Westminster were alive and in a healthy condition
when twelve months old, 4.5 per cent. were in delicate health, and 20.8
per cent. failed to reach their first birthday, 4'5 per cent. of these were
still-born.
The superior health and low mortality of the breast-fed infants is
very marked. The percentage of children entirely breast-fed for at
least six months was 62.6 of the births, which is practically the same
as last year, though lower than the figures for 1908 when 75 per cent.
ware so fed. There is also a markedly lower mortality amongst the
bottle-fed, due, no doubt, largely to the teaching in the homes which
has been carried out systematically for some years past.
The percentage of deaths again shows a definite relation to the
poverty of the family. The proportion of infants who fail to reach
their first birthday is much greater in the Southern part where the
income of the families is considerably lower than in the Northern area.
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25 | 60.9 | 13 | 31.7 | 3 | 9.9 | ||
— | — | — | — | — |
* Figures in brackets denote infants dying under 1 week.
† 22 infants—4 still-born, 11 dying within a week, 7 dying very young, feeding not
stated, excluded.