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
Finsbury 1908
Report on the public health of Finsbury 1908 including annual report on factories and workshops
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29
In Table K. the numbers dying from each of the causes mentioned
in Table J. are arranged according to the age at which death
occurred, the periods shown being those indicated at the head of
the columns.
TABLE K.
| Certified Cause of Death. | Months o-3 | Months 3-6 | Months 6-12 | Totals. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diarrhoea | 13 | 35 | 32 | 80 | |
| Prematurity | 61 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 118 |
| Marasmus and Debility | 8 | 13 | 7 | 28 | |
| Atrophy and Developmental Disease | 28 | 0 | 0 | 28 | |
| Bronchitis | 8 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 71 |
| Pneumonia | 13 | 10 | 27 | 50 | |
| Convulsions | 9 | 3 | 6 | 18 | |
| Suffocation | 25 | 6 | 2 | 33 | |
| Measles | 0 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 17 |
| Whooping Cough | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | |
| Tuberculosis | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | |
| Meningitis (Incldg. Tuberculous) | 3 | 7 | 11 | 21 | |
| Miscellaneous | 17 | 8 | 7 | 32 | |
| Totals | 187 | 97 | 116 | 4OO | |
Apart from showing the causes of death, this table brings out
the important fact that by far the greatest number of deaths
occurred in the first quarter of life, nearly one-half taking place
in that period. Of the children who died in this quarter, most did
not see the end of the first month, as is shown in Table I. These
early deaths are traceable mainly to immaturity, the infant having
been born before the end of the full term, or with some developmental
defect which may be obvious (for instance, cleft palate), or
indefinite, and merely a lack of vitality and want of ability to
maintain a separate existence by taking, digesting, and assimilating
food. The conditions in the above table, classed under the general
head of "Immaturity," are Prematurity, Marasmus (i.e., wasting)
and Debility, and Atrophy and Developmental disease.
These, it will be noted, accounted for 118 of the 400 deaths; and
97 took place in the first three months.