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
Shoreditch 1899
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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The infant mortality in Shoreditch was 210 per 1,000 births, as compared with
167 for the whole of the Metropolis, and 163 for England and Wales. In the
subjoined table are set out for comparison the infant mortalities of London and
Shoreditch during the 10 years ending 1898:—
TABLE VI.
| Year. | Deaths of Infants under one year per 1,000 births. | |
|---|---|---|
| London. | Shoreditch. | |
| 1889 | 141.3 | 158.1 |
| 1890 | 154.3 | 179.6 |
| 1891 | 162.6 | 174.4 |
| 1892 | 154.7 | 169.3 |
| 1893 | 156.7 | 186.0 |
| 1894 | 142.5 | 166.3 |
| 1895 | 166.0 | 203.7 |
| 1896 | 161.0 | 183.3 |
| 1897 | 159.0 | 186.3 |
| 1898 | 167.0 | 199.8 |
The average yearly mortality amongst infants under one year during the ten years
ending 1898 was 180.6 per 1,000 births as compared with a Metropolitan mortality of
156.5 during the same period. Shoreditch is a district which has a high infant
mortality, such as is usually met with in manufacturing centres where the density of
the population is great and the people poor. The infant mortality is largely influenced
by the prevalence of diarrhoea, whooping cough, and measles. Lack of experience in
the management of infants on the part of the mothers, or inability of the mothers to
give due attention to their offspring as happens in cases where the mothers are obliged
to go out to work, contribute very materially in raising the rate of infant mortality.
Improper feeding is a very potent factor; directly or indirectly, it is the cause of a very
considerable portion of the deaths among infants. The mistake which is commonly
made is the administration of foods other than milk at too early an age. Milk, either
its mother's milk or properly prepared cow's milk, is all the food a baby under six
months ought to have. Appended is a copy of the rules respecting the management
and feeding of infants, which have been drawn up for distribution to mothers and
others having the care of infants in the parish (see page 56). They are being
distributed by the registrars of births in the parish.
There were 432 deaths of children aged between one and five years as compared
with 452 in 1898, 453 in 1897, and 502 in 1896. The chief causes of death were
measles which resulted in 63, diphtheria which caused 46, pneumonia 70, various forms
of tuberculosis 41, bronchitis 37, whooping cough 27, and scarlet fever 11; disorders
of the nervous system, including dentition, caused 34 deaths, and 12 resulted from
various forms of violence including 6 from burns and scalds.
The deaths of children aged under five years numbered 1,286 and formed 44.1 per
cent. of the total deaths.