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
Beckenham 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Beckenham]
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INFANTILE MORTALITY, 1951.
The number of deaths of infants under the age of twelve months
was 28 as compared with 19 in 1950. The Registrar-General returns
only 27 infant deaths and the Infant Mortality Rate for the year was
28.09 per 1,000 live births.
The following Table shows the causes of death in 28 cases for which
full records exist.
| Age in Weeks. | Total under one mth. | Age in Months. | Total under one year. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 1 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 3-4 | 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 | 10-12 | |||
| A. Coneenital Defects. | ||||||||||
| Hydrocephalus | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| Diaphragmatic hernia | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Heart | 2 | - | 1 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| B. Ante-natal or Intra-natal Conditions. | ||||||||||
| Prematurity | 6 | 1 | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Prematurity and Placenta Praevia | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Subarachnoid haemorrhage | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Subarachnoid haemorrhage and Toxaemia of Pregnancy | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Kernicterus | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| C. | ||||||||||
| Broncho-pneumonia.. | - | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 6 |
| Broncho-pneumonia— Mongolism | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Whooping-Cough Infantile | - | - | - | -*- | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Gastroenteritis | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| D. Accidental. | ||||||||||
| Asphyxia | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| E. | ||||||||||
| Sacral Teratoma (operation) | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Totals | 15 | 2 | 2 | - | 19 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 28 |
Over half the deaths occurred in the first week of life and of these at
least three-fifths are regarded as preventable.
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