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17
Dealing only with the infant deaths amongst residents and the year
1904, certain facts are of special importance. The details of the causes of
these deaths are given in the third column of Table 4. 58 of the deaths,
or 34.7 of the total number, were caused by Diarrhoea in one form or another.
18 deaths, or 10.8 per cent. of the total number, were attributed to premature
birth. 27 deaths, or 161 per cent. of the total number were caused by
diseases of the respiratory organs. 7 deaths, or 4 2 per cent. of the total
number were caused by infectious diseases. (Measles 4, and Whooping.cough
3). A large proportion of the 33 deaths put under the head of causes not
otherwise specified were due to "Marasmus" wasting or non.assimilation
of food, all three causes which it may safely be said in many cases are
preventable with proper care and skill. The deaths from Measles, Whooping.
cough and Diarrhcea taken together give a zymotic infantile death.rate of
387 per 1000 births.
Special attention having been drawn to the infant mortality at Hounslow
Barracks in the last two annual reports, it is satisfactory to note that in
1904 only 4 deaths of infants under 1 year were regisiered as occurring
there. As during the same period 36 births were registered, the infantile
mortality rate for the Barracks in 1904 was 111.1 per 1000 births, compared
to 74.03 in 1903, and 352 99 in 1902.