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It has been urged that part of this increase has been due to the
more rigorous exclusion of all births except those which are to be
properly credited to particular districts, but it will be noted that
there is an increase in the infantile mortality rate for the whole
County of London where this process of exclusion and correction
has gone on for some years.
The subject was also considered at a meeting of sanitary
authorities at the County Hall, where a resolution was carried
that, in view of the passing of the Notification of Births Act,
appointment of one or more sanitary inspectors or health visitors
is eminently desirable, and the many speeches were almost
unanimously in favour of this. The dissent, lam glad to say, came
from the Chairman of your Committee, who pointed out that a
larger number of deaths were of premature birth. It was, however,
urged by some of the Medical Officers of Health present that many
deaths in this class are often due to preventable causes, such as lead
poisoning or neglect either on the part of the mother or of some
hygienic precautions. If these views are correct, it will be shortly
the duty of the Legislature to pass a Notification of Pregnancy Act,
so that prospective mothers can be visited and inspected, and the
holders of these opinions will no doubt be able to frame regulations
for our guidance in enforcing and carrying out any remedial
measures that may be considered necessary.
There were exactly the same number of deaths from premature
births as in the previous year, and in the class of the wasting diseases,
such as atrophy, &c., there has been a decline from 101 to 84, thus
being 32 below the 116 recorded in 1909. It is in these sub-divisions
that food and feeding might be a factor of considerable importance,
and it is a class which should indicate the effect of the visits of a
health visitor in a reduction of the mortality; that is if the contention
holds good that much of this is due to the fact that mothers
do not know how to bring up their children, and that a health
visitor is necessary to instruct them in this, it being assumed, of
course, that the advice of this official will and can be carried out to
its fullest extent.
There were 29 deaths from measles in infants under 1 year,
being 6 more than in 1910; on the other hand there were 8 fewer
deaths from whooping cough.
Three deaths from erysipelas were recorded, there being none in
the previous year.
Only 3 deaths were certified as due to syphilis, the number in
the previous year being 13.
The mortality from the respiratory diseases was also less than
in 1910, there being 5 fewer deaths from bronchitis and 12 fewer
from the various forms of pneumonia.
The deaths from measles continued high in number, although a
little below the 1909 figures. They gradually began to mount up in
the early autumn of 1910, and in the latter months of that year had
shown a great increase over the corresponding period of 1909, the
epidemic continuing well into the spring of 1911. The heaviest