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The cause for this enquiry was that the Secretary of State had read
the report of the Medical Officer of Health for Blackburn, and had
found that the death rate under one year was 241 per 1000 births.
About the month of November, a deputation of the Parliamentary
Committee of the British Medical Association waited on the Home
Secretary, who in reply stated, "though he deeply regretted the great
increase in large towns of infant mortality, the deputation had not
completely to his satisfaction proved that this was due to the employment
in factories of mothers too soon after childbirth."
I find that in the Demographical Division of the Eighth International
Congress of Hygiene and Demography, held at Budapest,
it was stated that:—"It was also very essential not to forget that in
England during the great cotton famine, the mortality of children
among the Lancashire cotton weavers and spinners was not so high
as usual. This was due to the fact that mothers being no longer
able to work at the cotton mills, had more time to attend to their
children."
ZYMOTIC DISEASES.
Of notifications of infectious diseases there were 609 in Poplar and
907 in Bromley; these totals do not include 46 second notifications
forwarded for the two parishes. The notification rate per 1000
living being:—
Poplar 10.6
Bromley 12.5
The mortality from the zymotic diseases as classified by the
Registrar.General, being 2.28 for Poplar and 3.29 for Bromley.
Three of the infectious cases, viz., two diphtheria and one scarlet
fever, were connected with milk shops. The County Council was
immediately informed, and the sale of milk discontinued until the
premises were declared free and disinfected, together with the
utensils.
The facility offered by the Asylums' Board for the prompt removal
of infectious cases to their hospitals, by accepting as a medical