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efficient follow-up arrangements for the care of premature
children born at the two hospitals. There are, therefore,
three separate large organisations available for providing
the much-needed specialist care, without which the premature
child is unlikely to survive.
The fall in our infant mortality rate is no doubt much
to the credit of each three of these arrangements. A
particular source of swollen infant mortality figures is the
illegitimate infant mortality rate. This normally is in
excess of the infant mortality rate for the legitimate child.
Five Day Nurseries with a total of 294 places for children
under five years of age is a fairly high proportion for a
Borough of just over 100,000 population. It is gratifying
to find that a quarter of these places are occupied by illegitimate
children.
By assisting the illegitimate child in this way, I am
certain that the Council is giving enormous assistance
towards the substantial reduction of the Illegitimate Infant
Mortality Bate.
The Council's five Day Nurseries functioned efficiently
and smoothly, and no epidemic of Infectious Disease upset
their serene and happy organisation.
The birth rate is the highest for 27 years, and the death
rate is even lower than last year, when it was 11.9 per
1,000.
The percentage of children immunised is still below the
optimum which is desired. Cases of diphtheria are,
though, again less, and no Hammersmith child has died of
this condition since 1944. During the year 1,929 children
were immunised as against 1,910 in 1946, and the proportion
protected is now 63 per cent.
A postal campaign, to parents of children who had eluded
us, has resulted in the protection of a number of children
against diphtheria.
Tuberculosis, after the war-time and post-war increases,
so tar has stopped increasing, and new cases in 1947 were
again lower.