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
Battersea 1912
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1912
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The next table shows the incidence of mortality from the chief diseases of infancy in the first and second trimesters and the last six months of the first year of life respectively.
| Certified Causes of Death. | Months. 0.3. | Months. 3.6. | Months. 6.12. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diarhoea | 11 | 17 | 10 | 38 |
| Prematurity | 80 | 1 | — | 81 |
| Marasmus and debility | 35 | 7 | 8 | 50 |
| Developmental disease | 2 | - | 1 | 3 |
| Bronchitis | 8 | 8 | 9 | 25 |
| Pneumonia | 10 | 12 | 21 | 43 |
| Convulsions | 5 | 2 | - | 7 |
| Suffocation | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Measles | - | - | 11 | 11 |
| Whooping cough | 4 | 6 | 9 | 19 |
| Tuberculosis | — | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Meningitis | 1 | — | 1 | 2 |
| Miscellaneous | 49 | 7 | 10 | 66 |
| 205 | 62 | 86 | 353 |
From the above table it will be seen (a) that the mortality is
heaviest in the first three months of life, (b) that three groups of
diseases between them account for 240 (i.e., 67.7 per cent.) of the
total deaths of infants during 1912, viz., congenital and develop
mental diseases, respiratory diseases and diarrhoea.
Looking more in detail into these figures it will be seen that
of the 353 infant deaths, 155 (i.e., 43-3 per cent.) were due to
congenital diseases.
The respiratory group was responsible for 68 (i.e., 19 8 per
cent.) of the total infant deaths.
There was a very considerable decrease in the deaths from
diarrhceal disease as compared with 1911; the deaths from this
group numbering 38 (i.e., 10.7 per cent.) of the total infant deaths.
It is satisfactory to be able to record that in the three principal
groups of diseases set out in the table there was a decrease
in infant mortality, as compared with the previous year.