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
Ilford 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ilford]
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93
in some cases only one attendance was made. 64, however, of the
deaths occurred in the first month of life, and these infants would
naturally not have been brought to a centre.
The mortality of infants under one year attending Ilford
infant welfare centres was 22.4 per 1,000 as compared with 74.9
per 1,000 in those not attending an Ilford infant welfare centre.
It must be remembered, in considering these figures, that
rarely is a baby brought to a welfare centre under one month of
age, whereas half the deaths occur in this period.
It would be a fairer comparison to state that of the 46 children
who died between the age of one month and one year (all of whom
might have been in attendance at a welfare centre), only 16 had
attended an infant welfare centre, or, in other words, that 78 per
Cent. of the deaths of children between one month and one year
of age occurred in children who had never attended an infant
welfare centre.
It is interesting to note that deaths under 1 month advanced from 31 during 1930 to 64 during 1931. The following were the causes:—
| 1930. | 1931. | |
|---|---|---|
| Meningitis | — | 1 |
| Pneumonia | 3 | 4 |
| Enteritis | 1 | — |
| Syphilis | - | 1 |
| Injury at birth | — | 0 |
| Atelectasis | 4 | 6 |
| Congenital malformations | 6 | 6 |
| Premature birth | 16 | 29 |
| Atrophy debility and marasmus | 1 | 7 |
| Other causes | Nil | 5 |
| 31 | 64 |
The rate advanced from 16-8 for 1930 to 32-3 for 1931.
In the group 1 month to 1 year the deaths occurred from the
following causes:—