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amongst the infants of mothers engaged in laundry work and other occupations, than it is amongst
the infants of married women whose work is confined to the performance of household duties. These
results are consistent with those obtained in former years.
Artificial Feeding.—On the grounds that congenital debility is the predominating cause
of death in the newly born, 67 infants who died before the age of seven days have been excluded
from the figures in the Table that relate to methods of feeding. The records which were made
of 121 deaths between the ages of 7 days and 12 months show that 49 per cent, occurred in
infants who were being artificially fed before the onset of their fatal illness, whereas the records
of previous years suggest that less than 35 per cent, of the total infant population are artificially
fed in the same age period. The fact that the artificially fed contribute more than their share to
the total number of infant deaths is established, and for this reason it has not been considered
necessary to make an annual census of their numbers at several age periods. The first visit is made
between the ages of 10 and 20 days, and it is to this period that the records of the feeding of
children who survived to the end of the year 1914 relate. They show that 92 per cent, were still
being fed on the breast alone in their second or third week of life, but cannot be used for the
purpose of comparison with the records of the deaths of infants at later ages.
Particulars Recorded
Cases in which Particulars were Recorded.
Survivors.
Deaths.
Number.
Per Cent.
Per Cent.
Number.
a. Occupation of Mother—
Laundry work
Charing, house-work (out) 55 4 5 8
Other occupations 34 3 4 7
No occupation 1,056 79 74 116
Totals 1,335 100 100 158
b. Mode of Feeding—
Cow's milk 39 3 18 21
Breast and cow's milk 28 2 13 16
Breast and condensed milk 12 0.8 1 1
Breast and other foods 7 0.5 9 11
Condensed milk 13 0.9 5 6
Other artificial foods. 12 0.8 3 4
Total artificial 111 8 49 59
Breast alone 1,305 92 51 62
Totals 1,416 100 100 121
c. Number of Rooms in Tene-
ment—
1 260 19 28 48
2 758 57 50 86
3 202 15 11 20
4 or more 117 9 11 20
Totals 1,337 100 100 174
Basement rooms only 152 11 14 25
Housing—The figures in the above Table suggest that an infant's chance of surviving is not
materially worse in a 1 or two room tenement than in a tenement containing 3 or 4 rooms. Basement
rooms on the other hand appear to exert a distinctly prejudicial influence, the proportion of
such tenements being 14 per cent. for deaths, as against 11 per cent. for survivors.