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 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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CAUSES OF, AND AGES AT, DEATH OF INFANTS UNDER ONE YEAR OF AGE IN KENSINGTON DURING 1933.
| Causes of death. | Under 1 week. | 1—2 weeks. | 2—3 weeks. | 3—4 weeks. | Total 4 weeks. | 1-3 months. | 3—6 months. | 6—9 months. | 9—12 months. | Total infant deaths under 1 year. |
| 1. Common infectious diseases. (Whooping cough 4) (Diphtheria 1) | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 2. Digestive diseases | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | 2 |
| 3. Pneumonia, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases. | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 22 |
| 4. Diarrhoea | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 8 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 42 |
| 5. Complications of birth (Atelectasis 4) (Other complications 8). | 10 | 1 | 1 | — | 12 | — | - | —. | - | 12 |
| 6. Congenital malformation | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | - | — | 1 | 10 |
| 7. Premature birth | 31 | 3 | — | I | 35 | 1 | - | — | — | 36 |
| 8. Atrophy, debility and marasmus | — | 2 | 2 | — | 4 | 7 | 2 | — | 1 | 14 |
| 9. Other diseases:— (Cerebro-spinal meningitis 1) (Convulsions 1) (Violence 3) (Other conditions 9) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 14 |
| Totals | 48 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 69 | 22 | 26 | 19 | 21 | 157 |
| Death rate in each age period per 1,000 births | 22.2 | 41 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 31.9 | 10.1 | 12.0 | 8.8 | 9.7 | 72 |
| Percentage of total infant deaths occurring in each age period | 30.5 | 5.7 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 44.0 | 14.0 | 17.0 | 12.1 | 13.3 |
During the year under review the high infant mortality rate of 98 recorded in the borough
for 1932 occupied the serious attention of the council. One of the council's women health
officers was detailed to conduct an investigation into the death of each of the 232 children under
one year who died and for some weeks her whole time was occupied in this way. The officer
enquired into the financial position of each family, the employment of the mother, the home
conditions, cleanliness of the home and mentality of the mother, nutrition of the infant, the
influence of migration, previous pregnancies, ante.natal care and whether the mother had attended
at any of the infant welfare centres ; she also paid particular attention to the question of illegitimacy
and the large number of deaths of children from enteritis.
As a detailed report was issued to the council in October last, I do not propose to include it
in this report, but merely to give the conclusions arrived at, which are as follows:—
1. The standard of general sanitation in Kensington is not responsible for the high infant
death rate.
2. A considerable proportion of the poorest.class mothers do not take advantage of the
facilities provided for the welfare of themselves and their babies at the infant welfare
centres and ante.natal clinics.