Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Annual report (abridged) of the Medical Officer of Health 1916
This page requires JavaScript
Table B. INFANTILE MORTALITY.
District. | Deaths under one year. | Deaths per 1,000 Births. |
---|---|---|
North Kensington | 199 | 95 |
South Kensington | 58 | 67 |
St. Charles | 55 | 97 |
Golborne | 61 | 86 |
Norland | 63 | 122 |
Pembridge | 20 | 66 |
Holland | 18 | 78 |
Earl's Court | 11 | 50 |
Queen's Gate | 7 | 79 |
Redcliffe | 13 | 60 |
Brompton | 9 | 82 |
Unknown | 1 | – |
The Borough | 258 | 85 |
The principal causes of deaths in the first four weeks and in the later months of infancy will
be found in Table IV., Appendix. The same table shows that the mortality amongst illegitimate
infants, of whom no less than 42 died, was equivalent to a rate of 211 per 1,000, as compared with
a rate of 76 per 1,000 among those born in wedlock.
Health Visitors.—The Health Visitors visit infants notified under the Notification of Births
Act, cases of ophthalmia in the newly born, infants suffering from tuberculosis and notified cases
of puerperal fever. They assist in the work of the voluntary schools for mothers. During the year
1,762 infants were visited shortly after birth and 4,511 visits in all for the purposes mentioned
above were made. The staff during six months of the year was limited to two Health Visitors.
Maternity and Child Welfare —An exhaustive report on the provision made in the
Borough under this head was submitted by Dr. L. C. Parkes, the acting Medical Officer of Health,
on 1st June, 1916. Conditions have not materially since that date except in that progress
has been made towards the appointment of a special committee in connection with maternity and
child welfare under the powers conferred by the Notification of Births (Extension) Act, 1915.
INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES. The seasonal incidence of the chief epidemic infectious diseases is given in the following Table for the thirteen four-weekly periods in the year:—
Monthly Period ending | Corrected Total | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 Jan. | 26 Feb. | 25 Mar. | 22 Apl. | 20 May | 17 June | 15 July | 12 Aug. | 9 Sep. | 7 Oct. | 4 Nov. | 2 Dec. | 30 Dec. | Total. | ||
Notifications— | |||||||||||||||
Scarlet Fever | 28 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 20 | 212 | 200 |
Diphtheria | 16 | 14 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 153 | 146 |
Enteric Fever | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 19 |
Cerebro-Spinal F. | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 20 |
Measles* | 48 | 88 | 117 | 138 | 217 | 127 | 88 | 54 | 26 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 24 | 967 | 967 |
Deaths— | |||||||||||||||
Influenza | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 28 | 65 | 65 |
Measles† | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
Whooping Cough | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 12 |
Diarrhœa | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 55 | 55 |
* Includes German Measles. + Does not include German Measles.