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It is impossible to define social status very accurately, but for some
time past it has been our custom to divide the births in the borough
into two groups, namely, those occurring in large houses and those
occurring in small houses. Generally speaking, every tenement of six
rooms and over is considered a large house. Adopting this more or
less artificial grouping it is found that during 1908 there were 1,113
births in large houses, and of these only 49 died, a rate of 44 per 1,000
as compared with 2,884 with 349 deaths in the smaller houses, a rate
of 121 per 1,000. The low rate of 44 per 1,000 recorded in the larger
houses is an interesting corroboration of the view that, with adequate
care and sufficiently good environment, an infantile mortality rate of 50
per 1,000 is not an impracticable ideal.
DEATH CERTIFICATION.—All deaths in the Borough were
certified by the Medical Attendant or by the Coroner.
INQUESTS were held in 163 instances, or 8.1 per cent. of the
total deaths.
THE ASSIGNED CAUSES OF DEATH are fully set out in Tables
IV., V., and VI., but certain of them require special comment.
SMALL-POX.—Small-pox has been absent from the Borough for
over two years, no cases having been notified since April, 1906.
CROYDON AND WIMBLEDON JOINT SMALLPOX HOSPITAL.
—The Smallpox Hospital District comprises the County Borough
of Croydon, the Borough of Wimbledon, the Urban Districts of
Penge and of Merton, and the Croydon Rural District. No patient
was admitted during the year. The last occasion on which the
hospital was occupied was August nth, 1906.
VACCINATION.—During the year ending December 31st, 1908,
the number of primary vaccinations in Croydon and Penge amounted
to 2,766, as compared with 4,445 registered births.
The number of infants vaccinated, therefore, amounted to 62
per cent. of the registered births as compared with 90 per cent. in
1907, and 82 per cent. in 1906.
The increase in the proportion of unvaccinated infants is
doubtless due to the increased facilities offered to conscientious
objectors by the last amendment of the Vaccination Acts.