View report page

26
It will be seen from this table that for the two years
the highest infantile mortality rate is found in Barons
Court Ward and the lowest in Town Ward. It is
somewhat disturbing to find that a ward like Barons
Court should have a higher infantile mortality rate
than wards like Sands End and Walham. It will be
noticed that the birth rate in Barons Court Ward is
extremely low as compared with the other wards, with
the exception of Hurlingham, and it would seem that
under such circumstances the few children that are
born should be better looked after than the many that
are born in some of the other wards. This, unfortunately,
does not appear to be the case. In Hurlingham
Ward, where the birth rate for the two years approximates
closely to that of Barons Court Ward, the average
infantile mortality rate for the two years is 69 against
an average rate of 120 for Barons Court Ward.
Deaths of Illegitimate Children.—Of the 214 infants
who died before attaining the age of one year, 14 were
illegitimate, the mortality amongst them being in the
proportion of 106 deaths per thousand births against
70 per thousand births amongst children born in
wedlock. This illegitimate infantile mortality rate
shows a decrease of 49 as compared with 1923, when the
rate was 155. The difference between the legitimate
and illegitimate death rate this year is therefore not so
great as is usually the case.
Maternity and Child Welfare.
The work in connection with the Council's Maternity
and Child Welfare Scheme has been carried out during
the year on the lines very fully detailed in the Report
by your late Medical Officer of Health for the year
1919 and in my Report for 1922. It is only necessary,
therefore, in this year's Report to refer briefly to the
subject.
Notification of Births.—Notifications of the births
of 2,687 living children and 77 stillborn children were
received during the year under the Notification of
Births Act, 90.56 per cent. of births registered being