Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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22
was 21 (a decrease of 9) and these were attributed to the following
causes :—
Prematurity 11
Congenital
Malformations 3
Injury at Birth 3
Measles 1
Tracheo-bronchitis 1
Broncho-pneumonia 1
Meningococcal
Meningitis 1
Of the above, 13 were male and 8 female ; 6 died in St. Alfege's
Hospital, 12 in Hospitals and Maternity Homes outside the borough
and 3 at home.
This substantial decrease in infant deaths during the current
year was confined wholly to the neo-natal period, a complete reversal
of the trend noted in the previous year.
Neo-Natal Mortality.—Neo-natal mortality, i.e., infants dying
before attaining the age of one month, accounted for 14 deaths,
equivalent to 66.6% of all infant deaths and giving a Neo-natal
Mortality Rate of 10.67 per 1,000 live births. Thirteen of these
neo-natal deaths occurred within the first week of birth, the main
cause being Prematurity.
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 1955 :—
District | Average for five years 1931-1935 | Average for five years 1936-1940 | Average for five years 1941-1945 | Average for live years 1946-1950 | Year 1955 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greenwich | 75 | 50 | 40 | 27 | 16.01 |
London | 63 | 56 | 60 | 33 | 23.2 |
England & Wales | 62 | 55 | 50 | 36 | 24.9 |