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

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Paddington 1908

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

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MORTALITY OF CHILDHOOD. 39

TABLE 27.

Infantile Mortality.Proportional Mortality.
Males.Females.Persons.Persons.
1908.1907.1906.1905.1908.1907.1906.1905.1908.1907.1906.1905.1908.1907.1906.1905.
Borough 118131115128928799109105110107118233126160214
Queen's Park11011596164699287769010592122200120137221
Harrow Road 113137901166875581139210675115204121112209
Maida Vale101118145116999669124100108107120222124160218
Westbourne9910212311111898120120108100121112240114180203
Church 14915414015112699155141138128146146306147218265
Lancaster Gate, West 299762832964322829834855649572100
„ East 6912586415860837161928555135105126100
Hyde Park16316310313074471544112210712686271123188156
Lancaster Gate, East and West 4710975594262605145876755100100100100
Ratios of rates (persons) Lancaster Gate Wards. 1905: 1906: 1907: 1908:=: 100: 121: 158: 81.

In past years, when the earliest intimation of a birth which the Department received
was its registration, attention was called to the number of births described (for want of a
better term) as " hopeless," being the births which were registered simultaneously with, or
subsequent to, the registration of the children's deaths. In 1905, 87 such births were
reported; in 1906,89; and in 1907, 124. The increase in number was attributed more to
greater expertness in checking the two sets of returns rather than to any increase in the
numbers of such births. Last year 104 such births were recorded, 58 of boys and 46 of girls.
All but 10 of the children died before completing the first month of life, 74 of the deaths being
attributed to diseases of development (premature birth, &c.). (See Table 28.) At least 13
of the deaths, namely those from diarrhoea (6), respiratory diseases (5), and overlaying (2),
were due to preventible causes. If the 104 "hopeless" births be eliminated from calculation,
the infantile mortality for last year is 76 per 1,000 and not 105.
By the adoption of the Notification of Births Act the Department should receive
information of a birth within two days of its occurrence, instead of six or seven
weeks as under the old system. The usual period of attendance by a doctor or
midwife after a birth is 10 to 14 days. It is undesirable, except in particular cases, for a visit
to be made by the Officers of the Department until that period has expired. It may, therefore,
be assumed that all cases requiring advice and help will be visited within three, or at
the most four, weeks of the date of the birth of the child. Under the new regime children
dying, from any cause except accident (overlaying, &c.), under one month old, and those
dying from premature birth and congenital malformations at older ages, should, it is thought,
be regarded as "hopeless births." A reference to Table VII., Appendix A., will show that
124 children died last year under one month old, including 4 from overlaying, and that there
were 17 deaths from premature birth, and congenital malformations, and one from injury at
birth, at ages over one month, giving a total of 138 "hopeless births" according to the rule
just suggested. The elimination of those 138 children from the calculations of infantile
mortality would reduce the rate from 105 to 66 per 1,000 births, which latter figure may be
taken as the datum from which the results of health visiting should should be measured.