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
Ealing 1919
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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18
Infant Deaths.
The following table gives the principal causes of death amongst infants under one year of age, during the year 1919 and compared with those during the previous five years :
| 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diarrhoeal Diseases | 10 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 3 |
| Premature Birth | 14 | 11 | 20 | 7 | 12 | 13 |
| Congenital Defects | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | — | 6 |
| Want of Breast Milk, (Starvation) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Atrophy, Debility, Marasmus | 9 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 14 |
| Tuberculous Disease | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 3 |
| Syphilis | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — |
| Rickets | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Meningitis (not Tuberculous) | — | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 2 |
| Convulsions | — | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Bronchitis | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Pneumonia (all forms) | 4 | 7 | 4 | 17 | 6 | 4 |
| Gastritis | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Common Infectious Diseases | 2 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| Other Causer | 15 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 17 |
| 74 | 75 | 70 | 67 | 72 | 67 |
In this table two groups of causes of death give 27
of the total of 67 deaths, in the year 1919, these two
groups indicating a certain amount of feebleness at
birth to which the children ultimately succumb. To
these groups, which apparently indicate some ante-natal
factors, we must devote our attention in the future
by paying heed to the health of the mother during the
period of child-bearing, the measures to be taken being
indicated later under the heading " Maternity and
Child Welfare."