Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Report for the year 1919 of the Medical Officer of Health
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Death rate among children under five years of age. The latter rate is calculated upon a period of five years:—
Deaths of Infants under 1 year of age. | Deaths of Children under 5 years of age. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year. | No. | Rate per 1000 births. | No. | Rate per 1000 children born in the year and in preceding tour years. |
1908 | 97 | 69 | 122 | 17.3 |
1909 | 99 | 74 | 148 | 21.3 |
1910 | 81 | 60 | 132 | 19.2 |
1911 | 105 | 82 | 152 | 22.7 |
1912 | 79 | 62 | 131 | 19.8 |
1913 | 91 | 69 | 149 | 22.7 |
1914 | 91 | 72 | 129 | 20.0 |
1915 | 101 | 76 | 144 | 22.2 |
1916 | 73 | 62 | 94 | 14.7 |
1917 | 90 | 80 | 122 | 19.6 |
1918 | 69 | 77 | 109 | 18.8 |
1919 | 96 | 83 | 120 | 21.2 |
Deaths among Legitimate and Illegitimate Infants. The following comparative tables indicate the great disproportion in the deaths of legitimate and illegitimate infants : —
Year. | Legitimate Infants. | Death rate per 1000 births. | Illegitimate Infants. | Death-rate per 1000 births | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Births. | Deaths. | Births. | Deaths. | |||
1908 | 1,326 | 87 | 66 | 29 | 10 | 345 |
1909 | 1,239 | 88 | 71 | 43 | 11 | 256 |
1910 | 1,233 | 71 | 57 | 36 | 10 | 278 |
1911 | 1,239 | 94 | 76 | 37 | 11 | 297 |
1912 | 1,207 | 68 | 66 | 74 | 11 | 149 |
1913 | 1,252 | 73 | 58 | 73 | 18 | 246 |
1914 | 1,218 | 77. | 63 | 55 | 11 | 254 |
1915 | 1,246 | 82 | 65 | 81 | 19 | 234 |
1916 | 1,088 | 65 | 59 | 76 | 8 | 105 |
1917 | 1,052 | 74 | 70 | 71 | 16 | 225 |
1918 | 797 | 56 | 70 | 98 | 13 | 132 |
1919 | 1,039 | 77 | 74 | 117 | 19 | 162 |
It will be observed that the death-rate among illegitimate children
is very high. In calculating this rate, only those infants definitely
known to be illegitimate have been deemed to be such. All foundlings
and babies found dead have been counted as legitimate. For the year
under review the births of illegitimate infants represented a rate of
no less than 101 per 1,000 births, or, broadly speaking, one in every ten,