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
Kensington 1923
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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8
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
During the year 1923, there were 3,121 births and 218 deaths of children under the age of
twelve months in the Borough. These figures give an infantile mortality rate (deaths of infants
under 12 months to each 1,000 births of 70.
The following table gives the births and the infantile deaths and death rates for the year 1923 in England and Wales, London, the Borough and the various Wards of the Borough.
| District | No. of Births | No. of Deaths of children under 1 year of age. | Infantile Mortality rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 758,386 | 52,362 | 69 |
| London | 91,662 | 5,541 | 60 |
| The Borough | 3,121 | 218 | 70 |
| North Kensington | 2,127 | 182 | 86 |
| South Kensington | 856 | 32 | 37 |
| St. Charles | 526 | 45 | 85 |
| Golborne | 711 | 76 | 107 |
| Norland | 559 | 47 | 84 |
| Pembridge | 331 | 14 | 42 |
| Holland | 214 | 11 | 51 |
| Earl's Court | 189 | 2 | 11 |
| Queen's Gate | 93 | 3 | 32 |
| Redcliffe | 248 | 12 | 48 |
| Brompton | 112 | 4 | 36 |
| Ward unknown | 138 | — |
In considering the above and subsequent tables it must be remembered that the deaths of
infants at any temporary address (institution or private house) to which the mother went for her
confinement, and deaths of infants in institutions to which they were transferred for treatment
from the place of birth, are allocated to the district of the usual residence of the mother.
Reference to the table below indicates that a high infantile mortality rate in the Borough is
not unusual. The table shows only three periods in which the rate for Kensington was smaller than
that for England and Wales and a like number when the rate was below that of London.
INFANTILE MORTALITY RATES, 1896-1923
| Period. | England and Wales. | London. | Kensington. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1896-1900 | 156 | 162 | 176 |
| 1901-1905 | 138 | 139 | 144 |
| 1906-1910 | 117 | 114 | 120 |
| 1911 | 130 | 129 | 135 |
| 1912 | 95 | 91 | 92 |
| 1913 | 108 | 105 | 111 |
| 1914 | 105 | 104 | 95 |
| 1915 | 110 | 114 | 119 |
| 1916 | 91 | 89 | 85 |
| 1917 | 96 | 104 | 130 |
| 1918 | 97 | 108 | 97 |
| 1919 | 89 | 85 | 102 |
| 1920 | 80 | 75 | 81 |
| 1921 | 83 | 80 | 110 |
| 1922 | 77 | 74 | 82 |
| 1923 | 69 | 60 | 70 |
Although the Kensington infantile mortality rate for 1923 is higher than that for London as
a whole and slightly above the figure for England and Wales, it is the lowest rate recorded in the
history of the Borough.
The great reduction in the infant death rate in recent years is most encouraging, and it is to
be hoped that it will stimulate both voluntary and official workers to press forward with renewed
enthusiasm in a campaign which has been associated with such marked success.