View report page

61
The percentage of deaths occurring in public institutions is
slowly, and with slight remissions, continuously increasing. This
fact supports the belief that the inhabitants of the district are
now generally poorer than they were years ago. The percentage
of the total deaths— 36 per cent, of the whole number, which
occurred in the workhouse or workhouse infirmary is a fair
criterion of the poverty which exists among many inhabitants of
the district. No deaths were recorded during the year as having
been accelerated by destitution or exposuie.
Inquests.—During the past year 182 inquests were held in the
Borough, of which 7 were on the bodies of non-residents, who
died suddenly in the district. Fifty-seven were on children under
5 years of age, 125 on adults and children over 5 years of age.
Amongst the causes of death were the following :—Accidental
falls, 17; burns and scalds, 4; run over by taxicabs and motor
buses, 8; run over by cabs and horsed vans, 3; overlain in bed
by parents, 21 deaths.
INFANT MORTALITY.
The infant mortality of any district for any stated year means
the number of deaths of chddren under one year per 1,000
births.
The corrected number of births of Finsbury children for 1914
is 2,558. In the same year 304 children died under one year of age
and belonging to the Borough. The infant mortality is obtained
by multiplying the number of deaths under one year, 304 by 1,000,
and dividing the result by the number of births, 2,558, for that
year.
The infant mortality of the Borough for 1914 is 118; expressed
in popular manner, this means that out of every 1,000 children
born during the year 118 died before reaching their first
birthday.