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 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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Infant Mortality Rates, 1896—1938.
| Period. | England and Wales. | London. | Kensington. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1896—1900 | 156 | 162 | 176 |
| 1901—1905 | 138 | 139 | 144 |
| 1906—1910 | 117 | 114 | 120 |
| 1911—1915 | 109 | 110 | 110 |
| 1916—1920 | 90 | 90 | 96 |
| 1921—1925 | 76 | 71 | 83 |
| 1926—1930 | 66 | 64 | 77 |
| 1931—1935 | 61 | 65 | 83 |
| 1936 | 59 | 66 | 73 |
| 1937 | 58 | 60 | 83 |
| 1938 | 53 | 57 | 78 |
The number of deaths of Kensington infants occurring in each month during 1938.
| January | 23 |
| February | 15 |
| March | 23 |
| April | 13 |
| May | 12 |
| June | 15 |
| July | 13 |
| August | 12 |
| September | 12 |
| October | 9 |
| November | 10 |
| December | 18 |
Causes of, and ages at, deaths of infants under one year of age in Kensington during 1938.
| 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common infectious | ||||||||||
| diseases | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 4 | 5 |
| (Measles 3) | ||||||||||
| (Whooping cough 2) | ||||||||||
| Pneumonia, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 14 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 44 |
| Diarrhoea | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 24 | 8 | 7 | 50 |
| Complications of birth (Atelectasis 6) (Other complications 9) | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | 15 |
| Congenital malformation | 6 | 1 | _ | _ | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | _ | 10 |
| Premature birth | 23 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 30 | _ | _ | _ | _ | 30 |
| Atrophy, debility and marasmus | 2 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 9 |
| Other diseases :— | ||||||||||
| (Violence 1) | ||||||||||
| (Otitis media 2) | ||||||||||
| (Meningitis 1) | 2 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| (Tub— meningitis 1) | ||||||||||
| (Syphilis 1) | ||||||||||
| (Other conditions 6) | ||||||||||
| Totals | 47 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 60 | 33 | 51 | 15 | 16 | 175 |
| Death rate in each age period per 1,000 births | 21.0 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 26.8 | 14.8 | 22.8 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 78.2 |
| Percentage of total infant deaths occurring in each age period | 26.9 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 34.3 | 18.8 | 29.1 | 8.6 | 9.1 | _ |