London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Bethnal Green 1905
Report on the sanitary condition and vital statistics during the year 1905
This page requires JavaScript
17
born infants died from convulsions (they were probably
injured during birth) and seven were overlaid.
With the exception of the last seven, all these deaths
must be considered, so far as the infants themselves are
concerned, as unpreventable. Any measures having for
their object the reduction of this mortality must be
directed to improve the condition and environment of
the mothers during the last months of pregnancy.
Referring again to Table V. and classifying the chief causes of infantile deaths in order of fatality we find them as under:—
| 1. Premature birth and congenital defects (excluding atrophy and debility) | 140 |
| 2. Diarrhoeal Diseases | 123 |
| 3. Bronchitis and Pneumonia | 120 |
| 4. Want of breast milk, Atrophy, Debility and Marasmus | 85 |
| 5. Convulsions and simple meningitis | 43 |
| 6. Tubercular diseases | 42 |
| 7. Overlaying | 41 |
| 8. Zymotic diseases (excluding diarrhoea) | 34 |
| 9. Syphilis | 7 |
1. Premature birth and congenital defects have
already been referred to. All prematurely born infants
who succumbed (with the exception of four) died
within the first three months of life.
2. 123 deaths were attributed to Diarrhoeal diseases,
of which the infective or Zymotic form was responsible
for 93. A large amount of this mortality as well as that
from Marasmus and other wasting diseases is due to
artificial feeding. Very few infants who draw their
sustenance solely from nature's fount suffer from
diarrhoea. Most women are able if they so choose, to
suckle their children ; moreover it must always be borne
in mind that cow's milk and condensed milk are much