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33
It will be seen from the foregoing table that the RegistrarGeneral's
infantile mortality figure is lower than that calculated by
me. This is because the Registrar-General takes account of the
Hampstead births that occur in public institutions outside Hampstead.
This I am unable to do, first, because I am not informed
of many of these births, and secondly, because all my statistics are
based on the official tables of the Local Government Board, which
do not take account of births occurring outside the district.
Infantile mortality in the country generally, as well as in
Hampstead, was low in 1907, and though this may be to some
extent attributed to the special preventive efforts that have been put
forth during the last few years, there can be no doubt that it is
largely due to the favourable weather conditions. A series of hot,
dry summers, such as marked the last ten years of the last century
would undoubtedly raise the infantile mortality rates all over the
country, although probably not to the same extent, in spite of what
has been done in the way of prevention. Our low infantile mortality
in 1907 should not therefore be taken as a reason for relaxing preventive
measures, but rather as a stimulus to increased effort.
In my last annual report I dealt at some length with the
subject of the prevention of infantile mortality, and indicated certain
measures which were likely to be useful. Two of these were specially
recommended for the prevention of summer diarrhœa, which is one
of the most fatal diseases of infancy; one was the impervious paving
of the carriageways of certain streets, the other the paving of backyards.
There are many streets in the Kilburn Ward that would be
greatly improved if the carriageways were paved with an impervious
substance such as asphalte or tarred macadam, and it is to be hoped
that steps will be taken in this direction.
The impervious paving of backyards and forecourts is an
important measure in this connection. The late Vestry made a
bye-law dealing with this matter in 1893, but after some recent
decisions in the High Court it became doubtful whether the byelaws
then made could be enforced. In 1907 the Council prepared a
set of paving bye-laws which were finally approved and adopted on
October 10th, and allowed by the Local Government Board on
November 30th. These bye-laws are in the following terms.
D