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28
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
Two hundred and six deaths of Bethnal Green
infants under one year of age took place during the
year. This is equal to a rate of infantile mortality of
78.0 per 1,000 births.
Comparison with previous years is as follows : —
1916 106.0
1917 112.0
1918 129.0
1919 85.0
1920 95.0
1921 98.2
1922 90.2
1923 68.7
1924 78.0
So far as can be ascertained, 202 of the deaths
were those of legitimate infants and 4 those of illegitimate
infants. Accordingly, we have the following
figures for Infantile Mortality : —
Infantile Mortality (legitimate) 78.2
do. do. (illegitimate) 67.8
do. do. (all infants) 78.0
Of the 206 deaths, 53 were due to prematurity.
The deaths from diarrhceal diseases were 29 in
number, a very low figure and much on a level with
last year's figure of 34.
There were 57 deaths from bronchitis and
pneumonia, as compared with 42 last year. This,
however, is a relatively satisfactory figure in comparison
with the experience of former years (1923, 83
deaths), and was mainly due to the small prevalence
of whooping cough and measles which are so often
followed by fatal chest trouble in infants.
The Infantile Mortality figure of 78-0 per 1,000
births is the second lowest on record for Bethnal Green,
the previous record having been 68-7 last year. In
1903, 22 years ago, the figure was 141.