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
Chelsea 1911
Annual report for 1911 of the Medical Officer of Health
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11
Between the ages of 1 month and 12 months, 101 deaths, or
72.7 per cent, of the total, were registered in 1911, as compared with
61.7 per cent, in 1910; 41 of these deaths being due to diarrhœal
diseases, as compared with 19 in 1910.
The principal causes of death amongst infants under one year in
1911 were:—Diarrhœal diseases, 45; premature birth, 16; atrophy and
marasmus (wasting), 16; pneumonia, 12; bronchitis, 8; tubercular
meningitis, 4; measles, 4; and whooping-cough, 3.
Illegitimate Births.—The following Table shows, for each of the
years 1905—1911, the number of illegitimate births belonging to the
Borough, the number known to be alive at the end of each year, the
number known to be dead, and the number unaccounted for.
Table X.—Borough of Chelsea.
| Year. | Illegitimate Births. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number. | Per cent of total births. | Alive at end of year. | Dead at end of year. | Unaccounted for. | Deaths under1 to 1,000 births. | |
| 1905 | 88 | 5.5 | 19 | 10 | 59 | 114 |
| 1906 | 73 | 4.8 | 21 | 7 | 45 | 96 |
| 1907 | 76 | 5.2 | 28 | 9 | 39 | 118 |
| 1908 | 96 | 6.2 | 37 | 11 | 48 | 115 |
| 1909 | 74 | 5.3 | 44 | 13 | 17 | 176 |
| 1910 | 80 | 5.8 | 63 | 8 | 9 | 100 |
| 1911 | 64 | 5.2 | 51 | 7 | 6 | 109 |
The infantile mortality rates in the above Table are evidently
minimum rates from 1905 to 1908, owing to the considerable numbers
each year unaccounted for by change of residence, or other cause.
During the past two years it has been possible to trace the
subsequent histories of the illegitimate infants with some approach to
accuracy. The mortality rates of these infants in the past two years are
by no means excessive, having regard to the conditions under which they
are reared; and this lowered mortality may be due to the greater
supervision now exercised over the places where so many of these
children are put out to nurse.