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11
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
There were 30 deaths of infants under one year of age, as
against 646 births ; the proportion which the deaths under one
year bear to 1,000 births is therefore 46 as compared with 53 for
the previous year, and equals the lowest rate previously recorded
in the year 1923.
M. F.
Deaths under 1 year:
Legitimate
Illegitimate
13 14
3 0
A comparison of the causes of Infantile Mortality in 1933
with those of the preceding year shows no increase of any significance
as compared with the previous year, with the exception that
2 deaths from whooping cough were recorded.
It will be noted that during 1933 the deaths during the first
four weeks of life amounted to 13, a percentage of 43 of the total
Infantile Mortality during the first year of life, also that 9 of these
infant deaths occurred during the first week of life.
During the past 30 years the Infant Mortality rate has fallen
some 50%, but this fall has occurred mainly subsequent to the
first few weeks of life, the death rate during the first four weeks
remaining much the same.
These very early deaths can only be reduced substantially by
the adoption of more widespread and efficient ante-natal work.