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41
Infantile Mortality.
During 1913 the number of deaths of children under
one year of age was 59; between 1 year and 2 years, 15;
and between 2 years and 5 years 10; as compared with 46,
23, and 22 during 1912. It will be noticed that the
number of deaths of children under 1 year is increased,
but at the other ages has considerably decreased.
The death rate for children under 1 year per 1,000
births is 76.52, as compared with 69.27 for 1912, and an
average of 87.22 for the past 10 years.
If the infantile mortality rates of legitimate and illegitimate
children are compared, it will be seen that the
rate for illegitimate children is very much higher than
that for legitimate children.
In this district there were 746 legitimate births during
1913, with 54 deaths, giving a rate of 72.38 per 1,000
births, while there were 25 illegitimate births and 5
deaths during the same period, giving a rate of 200 per
1,000 births.
In the latter part of 1913 a supplement to the Annual
Report of the Medical Officer of the Local Government
Board for 1912-1913 was issued, containing a Report on
Infantile Mortality in towns with a population of more
than 20,000, during the years 1907-1910, and 1911. During
the 4 years 1907-1910, Erith's infantile mortality rate
was 78.7, and there were only 16 towns with a lower rate
out of the 241 towns included in the Report.
The death rate for 1907-1910:—
at ages 0-1 month was 28 per cent. below
at ages 0-3 months was 26 „ „ „
„ „ 3-6 „ „ 42 „ „ „
„ „ 6-12 „ „ 47 „ „ „
from Measles & Whooping Cough was 36 „ „ „
„ Bronchitis and Pneumonia was 43 „ „ „
„ Diarrhœa was 56 „ „ „
for the first year of life was 35 „ „ „
at ages 1 year—5 years was 39 „ „ „
the average rate for the 241 urban areas.
For the same period, as compared with the 111
smaller towns (with populations between 20,000 and
50,000), Erith was 10th lowest in the death rate for the
first year of life.