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
Lambeth 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lambeth Borough]
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rate (uncorrected) of 70.2 for the previous quinquennium 1920-24
(Borough); whereas, if the corrected deaths of infants under 1 year
are used, viz.: 343, the infantile mortality rate is 44.8, as compared with
yearly average rates (corrected) of 146.1, 115.3 and 77.2 for the
same decennia, and an average rate (corrected) of 52.01 for the
previous quuinquennium 1920-24 (Borough) respectively.
The chief causes of these deaths under 1 year of age are debility,
atrophy and inanition, congenital malformations, measles, whooping
cough, syphilis, bronchitis and other diseases of the respiratory organs,
diarrhoea and prematurity. In whatever way the infantile mortality
rate is expressed statistically, it shows a remarkable decline during
recent years as compared with the previous decennia 1911-20, 1901-10
and 1891-1900, and the previous quinquennium 1920-24.
In the Registration Sub-Districts the uncorrected infantile mortality varies from 50.1 in Norwood to 88.5 in Brixton, thus:
| Registration Sub-Districts. | Total No. of Births (uncorrected) 1925 | Total Deaths under 1 year (uncorrected) 1925. | Infantile Mortality per 1000 births (uncorrected) 1925. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lambeth Church | 2246 | 177 | 78.8 |
| Kennington | 1051 | 68 | 64.7 |
| Stockwell | 1589 | 80 | 50.3 |
| Brixton | 1740 | 154 | 88.5 |
| Norwood | 1037 | 52 | 50.1 |
| Lambeth | 7.663 | 531 | 693 |
Inner Districts—69.6, Outer Districts—68.04.
N.B.—For the purposes of calculating infantile mortality rates in
this table the births and deaths in Stockwell Registration Sub-district
are divided equally between the Inner and Outer Districts.
3.—Mortality Amongst Children under
5 Years of Age.
The decline in the number of deaths of infants under 1 year of
age is remarkable, but that of children under 5 years of age is even
more remarkable. During 1925, 509 corrected deaths amongst
children under 5 years of age are registered, as compared with