London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Paddington 1904

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]

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44
infantile mortality.
Separate rates for the two sexes have been calculated for St. Mary and St. John
Sub-Districts, beginning from 1891, the necessary figures for North-West Paddington not being,
however, available prior to 1901. From the annexed statement it will be seen that there
has been a diminution in the infantile mortality, all the rates in the second quinquennium
(1899-03) being lower than those in the first.
Infantile Mortality
Per 1,000 Births of each sex.
Males. Females. Decreases..
1894-98 1899-03 1894-98 1899-03 Males. Females.
St. Mary 175 157 140 131 11.3 6.5
St. John 138 112 106 91 18.9 14.2
In each case the decrease has been greater among males than among females. On
comparing the rates for the combined sexes it appears that the decreases in the rates for the
second quinquennium were—
St. Mary8.3 per cent. St. John 17.8 North-West Paddington 10.3
Last year's rates with one exception were higher than the mean rates for 1901-03.
St. Mary. St. John. North-West Paddington.
m. k. p. m. f. p. m. f. p.
1904 145 120 132 145 87 113 206 151 180
1901-03 143 117 130 100 93 95 145 120 133
Comparing last year's rate for the Borough (135) with those of the Adjacent Districts
(Table 14 ante), it will be seen that higher rates were recorded in Kensington (150) and
Marylebone (140). The lowest rate was that of Hampstead (112). In the whole country
the rate was 146, those of the "70 Great Towns" and "100 Smaller Towns" being 160 and
154 respectively. (Table 15.)
The employment of married women has considerable influence on infantile mortality by
depriving the children of their mothers' care, and the consequent practice of hand feeding.
The condensed tables of occupations for females do not give any separate information of the
numbers of married women of child-bearing ages, the only numbers furnished being those of
" married and widowed women aged 15 years and upwards employed." In the appended
statement the proportions of " occupied " women to all married and widowed women are set
out in comparison with the infantile mortality rates.

Infantile Mortality.

Proportion " occupied " per 1,000 females, Married and Widowed.Infantile Mortality.
1904.Mean. 1901-03.
Westminster267Kensington150Kensington152
Marylebone250Marylebone140Marylebone134
Kensington234Paddington135Westminster131
Paddington165Westminster124Paddington129
Hampstead128Willesden113Willesden126
Willesden115Hampstead112Hampstead93

Table 27 contains an analysis of the 449 deaths at ages under one year according to
cause and sex, and compares the numbers from each cause (persons) with the uncorrected
decennial averages. The averages should be slightly reduced (5 per cent.) to make them
strictly comparable with the figures for last year.
. Per cent. of rate for 1894-98.