Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hendon]
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A singular feature was that out of 1'58 illegitimate births
notified only 2 deaths were recorded, giving an infantile mortality
rate for this group of 12.66. This is a reversal of what
has prevailed in the past and even as recently as 1938 the
mortality amongst illegitimate children was double that of
legitimate. I believe that the increasing care which is being
devoted to the unmarried mother and her child and which in
return is reflected in a higher sense of maternal responsibility
on the part of the unmarried mother is responsible for this
change.
The gradual diminution which has taken place in the infantile mortality rate is illustrated in Table 11 below:—
TABLE II.
Year. | Death rate of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births. |
---|---|
1900 | 133 |
1910 | 80 |
1920 | 47 |
1930 | 50 |
1940 | 54 |
1941 | 57 |
1942 | 34 |
1943 | 39 |
1944 | 32 |
1945 | 29 |
1946 | 29 |
1947 | 27 |
1948 | 21 |
1949 | 22 |
1950 | 16 |