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
Greenwich 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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20
INFANTILE MORTALITY
The Infantile Mortality Rate, measured by the deaths of
children under one year of age to the number of live births registered,
was 21.4 per thousand live births as compared with 26.7 for the
previous year. For the County of London the rate was 26.4 and for
England and Wales 29.6 per 1,000 related live births.
The Infant Mortality Rate returned for the current year is the
lowest ever recorded for the Borough. This 1951 figure of 21.4
shows a decrease of 5.3 from that of 1950 and is 12.2 lower than the
average for the previous 10 years, viz: 33.6.
The total number of deaths during the year was 29, a decrease
of 11 from that of 1950.
The deaths of the 29 infants were attributed to the following causes:—
| Prematurity | 9 | Meningitis (pneumococcal) | 1 |
| Congenital Malformation | 5 | Atelectasis | 1 |
| Asphyxia (inhalation of regurgitated food) | 1 | ||
| Erythroblastosis foetalis | 2 | ||
| Anoxia (difficult labour) | 1 | ||
| Birth injury | 2 | „ (inhalation of maternal fluids) | 1 |
| Gastro-enteritis | 2 | ||
| Whooping Cough | 1 | Renal Insufficiency (Polycystic kidneys) | 1 |
| Bronchitis | 1 | ||
| Broncho-pneumonia | 1 |
Of the above, 13 were male and 16 female: 10 died in St.
Alfege's Hospital, 2 in the Brook Hospital, 1 in the Miller Hospital,
13 in other Hospitals and 3 at home.
Neo-Natal Mortality.—Neo-natal mortality, i.e. infants
dying before attaining the age of one month, accounted for 19
deaths, equivalent to 65.5% of all infant deaths and giving a Neonatal
Mortality Rate of 14.6 per 1,000 live births. All these 19
neo-natal deaths occurred within the first week of birth and the
main causes were: Prematurity, Congenital Malformation and
Erythroblastosis foetalis.
A table showing the causes of and ages at death is included in
the Appendix to the Report.
The following table shows the comparative Infantile Mortality