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
Chelsea 1954
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1954
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-11 -
INFANT MORTALITY
The deaths of twenty-one infants under the age of one year were
recorded during 1954, representing a death rate of 26.6 per 1,000 live
births, as compared with 19.1 and 20.3 in 1953 and 1952 respectively.
Fifty-seven per cent of the deaths occurred under four weeks of age.
The causes of deaths were attributed to:-
Males Females
Atelectasis 1 —
Gastre-enteritis 1 -
Inattention at birth 1 -
Malformat ions, Congenital 4 1
Marasmis 1 —
Pneumonia 3 1
Prematurity 5 1
Otitis Media 1 -
Unascertained 1 -
The following table shows the particular periods at which death took place:-
| Under 4 weeks | 4 weeks to 3 months | 3 to 6 months | 6 to 12 months | Total under 1 year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 10 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 18 |
| Females | 2 | - | 1 | - | 3 |
| Totals: | 12 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 21 |
It has to be recorded that for the first time since 1948, infant
deaths have failed to decrease, but such occurrences must, unfortunately,
be anticipated from time to time. During the ten years 1925 to 1934,
465 infants under one year of age died, giving an annual average of 46.5
and in the period 1945 to 1954, 254 deaths occurred representing an
annual figure of 25.4. The disappointing return for this year once
again illustrates that satisfaction with "good returns" must not be
taken as a matter of course. On the following page will be found a
table giving details of Infant mortality in England and Wales as a whole,
and a number of other countries.