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
Lambeth 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lambeth, Metropolitan Borough of]
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Of the total 28,985 births notified during 1911-1914, 854 were still-born, whilst 563 died within periods varying from a few mintues, a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks from birth, the causes of death being as follows:—
| Causes of Death. | Years. | Totals.* | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911. | 1912. | 1913. | 1914. | 1911-14. | 1908-10. | |
| (1) Stillborn | 175 | 215 | 229 | 235 | 854 | 291 |
| (2) Dead since birth | 142 | 132 | 144 | 145 | 563 | 219 |
| (a) Prematurity, inanition, debility and wasting | 73 | 62 | 71 | 73 | 279 | 127 |
| (b) Convulsions | 14 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 67 | 28 |
| (c) Bronchitis, pneumonia & other lung diseases | 19 | 8 | 18 | 21 | 66 | 18 |
| (d) Heart failure or exhaustion | 4 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 25 | 14 |
| (e) Natural causes | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 4 |
| (f) Infectious diseases | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 1 |
| (g) Diarrhoea & enteritis | 12 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 31 | 3 |
| 4 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 22 | 3 | |
| (t) Other causes (not classified) | 13 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 61 | 21 |
Of the 28,985 births notified, 14,294 were visited, but in 1,031
instances the parents were found to have removed or to be unknown,
or the addresses given to be wrong. 854 cases were stillborn at
the time of notification and the houses were not visited in consequence,
and in 7,705 cases pamphlets were sent by post to the parents
dealing with the proper method of feeding infants and young
children instead of visits being paid, whilst in the remaining
6,132 cases no action whatever was taken, owing (a) to medical men
or trained nurses being in charge of the infants and to the houses
being in the better class residential parts of the Borough (2407
cases), or (b) to the mothers (though confined in Lambeth, at an
*The figures for 1908-1910 are added from the 1910 Annual Report for
statistical comparison and so as to bring the figures up to date since the
adoption of the Notification of Births Act.