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It will be seen from the above table that the reduction of infantile
mortality in Chelsea in 1907, as compared with 1906, corresponds very
much with the reduction in London generally. The year 1905 was
characterised in Chelsea by a reduction over previous years of an
exceptional character, the causes of which are not very evident. There
seems, however, to have set in a period of lowered infantile mortality, of
which the explanation appears to lie in the efforts now being made to help
and influence the mothers of the infants, these efforts having commenced
in 1905, when the first reduction in the mortalitv rate is apparent.
That there is still an enormous field open to philanthropic effort
in this direction is shown by the fact that the rate of infantile mortality
amongst the inhabitants of the industrial dwellings of Chelsea in 1907,
was only one-third that of the inhabitants of the 11 poor-class streets
(Table VII.)—7 out of every hundred infants born in industrial dwellings
dying in their first year, as compared with 21 out of every hundred
infants born in the 11 poor-class streets. Very similar differences are
seen in the different wards of the Borough, for whereas in 1907 there
were only 81 deaths of infants under one year to 1000 births in Royal
Hospital Ward, in Church Ward the corresponding figure was 184, or
more than double.