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
Poplar 1916
Annual report for the year 1916 on the sanitary condition and vital statistics of the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar, comprising the registration sub-districts of Poplar, Bromley and Bow
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11
INFANT MORTALITY.*
Infantile Mortality; The Royal College of St. Katharine;
The Royal College of St. Katharine and the Poplar Infant
Care Association—Re-arrangement of Areas; Provision of
Special Drugs at Maternity Centre; Baby Show; Appointment
of Clerk in Maternity Department; Inspection of
Lying-in Homes—London County Council (General Powers)
Act, 1915; Resignation and Appointment of Second Health
Visitor ; Notification of Births Act, 1907.
Infantile Mortality.
There were 164 deaths of children under one year of age belonging to Poplar, 210 deaths under one year of age belonging to Bromley, and 98 deaths under one year of age belonging to Bow, making a total for the Borough of 472.† The death rates of children under one year per 1,000 births for the past 10 years being :—
| Poplar. | Bromley. | Bow. | Borough of Poplar. | County of London. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | 116.49 | 134.11 | 119.49 | 124.40 | 116 |
| 1908 | 118.49 | 126.50 | 119.36 | 123.83 | 113 |
| 1909 | 128.92 | 132.86 | 128.32 | 130.40 | 108 |
| 1910 | 114.79 | 119.81 | 125.31 | 119.38 | 103 |
| 1911 | 157.02 | 158.02 | 161.42 | 158.50 | 129 |
| 1912 | 119.59 | 103.83 | 101.07 | 108.40 | 90 |
| 1913 | 107.97 | 117.56 | 112.11 | 112.90 | 105 |
| 1914 | 108.47 | 118.31 | 127.64 | 117.21 | 104 |
| 1915 | 137.78 | 120.98 | 152.15 | 133.98 | 112 |
| 1916 | 104.12 | 111.11 | 90.90 | 103.89** | 89‡ |
* For Tables of Infantile Mortality, see Tables XIV., XV., XVI. and XVII., pages
51-54.
† The 472 deaths of infants under one year of age include deaths in outlying institutions
and allow for deductions of non-residents.
The actual deaths inside the Borough without deducting non-residents and not,
including deaths occurring in outlying institutions were 457—124 Poplar, 268 Bromley
and 65 Bow.
** See Health Visitor's Report (page 183). Mortality rate among infants visited
was 98 2 per 1,000. The infants visited are for the most part in the poorest portions
of the Borough, and the rate refers to those bom in 1915. In 1910 and 1911 the rates
were 105.69 and 115.62, because diarrhoea was prevalent in 1911.
‡ In the County of London during the year 1916 there were 99,341 children born,*
of whom 8,819 died under one year of age.* "The rate in 1910 was only 103 per 1,000
births. This is the lowest London rate recorded, and is 29 per 1,000 below the average
in the preceding 10 years."—RE.Gistrar-General. The rate for the County of London
was even lower in 1912, being only 90 per 1,000 births, and in 1916 was 89 per 1,000
births.
The infantile mortality rate is based on deaths occurring in any one year and births
occurring in that and the preceding year. The rate of mortality amongst infants visited
Continued on page 12.