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42
It is quite possible than in many of these cases drugs had
been taken to produce the desired result; but, on the other hand,
there is no doubt that others were due to, or associated with,
excessive muscular strain, venereal disease, alcoholism, working
in lead, accidental falls and injuries, the presence of twins,
disease of the womb, and deformities of the spine, hip, and
contiguous parts.
Many of these causes are curable and preventable. It will
be part of the duty of the Health Visitors when the antenatal
measures are organised to instruct expectant mothers how to
prevent them.
Marasmus and Inanition.— I here were 33 deaths due to
this cause, as compared with 50, 42, and 55 in the three previous
years. Five died in the first month of life, 14 in the next two
months, so that 57 per cent. died in the first three months of
life. Some of these deaths are probably due to weakness of
original stock, to the incapacity of the body organs to perform
the work of assimilation attendant upon growth and development.
Some are possibly cases of premature birth—others are
associated with faults in feeding—a few may be due to venereal
disease in one or both parents. Twenty-two, that is two-thirds
of the whole number, occurred in Clerkenwell, 10 in St. Luke's,
one case in St. Sepulchre.
Three of the infants were illegitimate.
Nearly all the deaths occurred in the very poorest parts of
the Borough—eight were in various “model buildings.”
They are only in part preventable.
Tuberculosis.—There were 9 deaths due to the presence
of the tubercle germ—five to consumption of the lungs, whereas
the other 4 were cases of tuberculous meningitis. The total
numbers for the three preceding years were 12, 19, and 10
respectively. This year all the cases occurred in Clerkenwell.
Convulsions caused 7 deaths, 3 of which occurred in the first
month, and all the rest up to the fourth month of life.