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96
The chief causes of death were : —
Premature Birth 19
Diarrhoea and Enteritis 28
Bronchitis and Pneumonia 29
Atrophy, Debility and Marasmus 8
Congenital Malformations 8
Atelectasis 4
Tuberculous Meningitis 2
Whooping Cough 2
Other causes 13
Measles 3
116
Of the above number, 64 were boys and 52 girls.
The Infantile Mortality Rate is higher than has been recorded
for some years past, and on an investigation of the causes of death,
is was found that 34 cases were attributed to prematurity, atelectasis,
malformations, and pneumonia within a few days of birth. Of the
remaining 82, 4 did attend the Welfare Clinics once or twice, but
not regularly, and not within a month of their death, whilst no less
than 22 did not attend the Welfare Clinics at all. This leaves 56
to be accounted for, all of whom attended the Centres within a
month of their deaths. It may be recalled that last summer was
exceptionally hot and dry and may have been a contributory cause
to the epidemic of Diarrhoea and Enteritis which occurred in the
autumn, and incidentally according to the Reg^trar-General's Returns,
the mortality from this cause was higher in Greenwich than in any
other Metropolitan Borough.
During this period 34 notifications of Zymotic Enteritis or
Epidemic Diarrhoea were received and only 2 cases proved fatal,
whereas 22 deaths were ascribed as due to the Diarrhoeal Diseases.
Four of these cases which had been admitted to hospital on
account of diarrhoea but were not notified as such, were fed on a
Dried Milk which they had obtained from the Welfare Centre, and
the suggestion arose that the cause of illness might be found in that
preparation. Arising from this, a part of the preparation which had
been partly used was secured from one of the mothers and submitted
to both chemical and bacteriological examination with negative
results, the bacteriologist reporting that bacilli coli were absent and
that no food poisoning organisms were found.