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
Lewisham 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham Borough]
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Deaths under 1 year of age
Table 3
| Cause of death | Sex | Under 1 day | 1-6 days | 1 week | 2 weeks | 3 weeks | Total under 4 wks. | 1-2 mths. | 3-5 mths. | 6-8 mths. | 9-11 mths. | Total 1-11 mths. | Total under 1 yr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meningococcal infection | M | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Pneumonia | M | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| F | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bronchitis | M | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| F | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Intestinal obstruction | M | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| F | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Congenital malformation | M | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 5 |
| F | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| Injury at birth | M | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| F | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
| Postnatal asphyxia and atelectasis | M | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| F | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
| Congenital debility | M | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
| Prematurity immaturity | M | 6 | 2 | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | 8 |
| F | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Other diseases of early infancy | M | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| F | - | 3 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| All other causes | M | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | 3 | 3 |
| F | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| TOTALS | M | 12 | 7 | - | - | 1 | 20 | 5 | 7 | - | 1 | 13 | 33 |
| F | 4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | - | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 20 | |
| GRAND TOTAL | 16 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 53 |
There were no deaths in the following groups : tuberculosis
(respiratory and other forms), syphilis, typhoid and paratyphoid fevers,
diphtheria, whooping-cough, measles, diseases of ear and mastoid
antrum, influenza, gastritis and duodenitis, gastro-enteritis and diarrhoea,
convulsions and lack of care of the newborn.
Nineteen infants (13 males and 6 females) thus died between the
ages of one month and one year compared with 24 in the previous year.
Eleven of the nineteen deaths (9 males and 2 females) were from
pneumonia or bronchitis and therefore it seems that some of these
might be regarded as being preventable, though sometimes pneumonia
or bronchitis are merely the terminal illness of a weakly baby.