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19
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 14.6 per thousand live births as compared with 21.4 for the
previous year. For the County of London the rate was 23.8 and
for England and Wales 27.6 per 1,000 related live births.
Whilst providing a record low Infant Mortality Rate, the
current year is the first in the history of the Borough to yield a rate
below 20, a figure which once was considered an irreducible minimum.
The present rate of 14.6 is a decrease of 6.84 from that of 1951 and
is 18 lower than the average for the previous 10 years, viz. 32.6.
The total number of deaths during the year was 19, a decrease
of 10 from that of 1951.

Of the above, 10 were male and 9 female: 4 died in St. Alfege's
Hospital, I in Brook Hospital, 8 in other Hospitals and 6 at home.
Neo-Natal Mortality.—Neo-natal mortality, i.e., infants
dying before attaining the age of one month, accounted for 10
deaths, equivalent to 52.6% of all infant deaths and giving a Neonatal
Mortality Rate of 7.7 per 1,000 live births. Eight of these
neo-natal deaths occurred within the first week of birth, the main
causes being Prematurity and Congenital Malformation.
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
Rate for the quinquennial periods since 1931, together with the
Rate for 1952:—