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
Wimbledon 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
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Infantile Mortality.
There were forty-five infant deaths during the year (including
transferable deaths) giving an Infantile Mortality Rate of 70 per
thousand births. This figure shows a considerable increase over
that of 49 per thousand for the previous year. During 1931 the
Infantile Mortality Rate for England and Wales was 66.
The following table gives the Infantile Death Rate in Wimbledon for the past ten years together with the comparative figures for England and Wales:—
| - | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wimbledon: | ||||||||||
| No. of Infantile Deaths | 50 | 38 | 59 | 46 | 27 | 37 | 38 | 35 | 38 | 45 |
| Infantile Death Rate (per thousand births) | 58 | 44 | 70 | 60 | 33 | 50 | 55 | 46 | 49 | 70 |
| Infantile Death Rate for England and Wales | 77 | 69 | 75 | 75 | 70 | 69 | 65 | 74 | 60 | 66 |
Of the forty-five children under one year who died, the cause
of death in sixteen cases was broncho-pneumonia or acute bronchitis.
This was largely accounted for by the prevalence of
influenza during the latter part of 1931. In another sixteen
cases death was due to malnutrition, prematurity, debility, etc.
Infantile diarrhoea and gastro-intestinal diseases were only
responsible for three deaths.
The Infantile Death Rate for illegitimate children in Wimbledon
was 184 per thousand births.
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