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47
mortality in childhood.
During the past year 399 deaths of children under one year of age were registered in the
Borough, giving a crude rate of 141 per 1,000 births. In 1910 the deaths registered numbered
353, and the crude rate was 121. Below are given the crude rates for each quarter of last year
in comparison with those for the previous year and the averages for 1906-10.
Mortality. Rates: crude.
Quarters. 1. 2. 3. 4.
1911 137 109 199 118
1910 112 110 106 158
1906-10 125 102 127 136
The most notable feature is the decrease in the rate for the fourth quarter of last year in
contrast with the increases seen in all the other three. The rates for each of the years 1901-10
will be found in Table I., Appendix A.
The deaths registered within the Borough included 48 of children who were non-residents,
and 35 deaths of resident children were included in the weekly returns from out-lying
districts, so that the nett number of deaths of residents was 386, the corresponding numbers for
1910 and 1909 having been 294 and 311 respectively. (See Table II., Appendix A.) The nett
mortality last year was 137 per 1,000 births registered in the Borough, an increase of 36 per 1,000
above the rate (101) recorded in 1910 and of 28 above the mean (109) for the five years 1906-10.
The corresponding rates for the quarters of the past year are compared below with the mean
rates recorded in the four quinquennial periods of the preceding twenty years (1891-1910).
Quarters. 1. 2. 3. 4.
1891-95 133 124 201 133
1896-1900 130 120 238 137
1901-05 130 101 156 127
1906-10 113 91 108 124
1911 125 112 197 111
The rates given above have all been calculated on the same system, but since 1901 the
returns of deaths in out-lying places have been, on the whole, more complete than they were
before that date. To that extent, therefore, the rates for the first decennium understate the
mortality in comparison with the later periods. The comparison between last year's rates and
those of the first three quinquennia cannot be described as other than most satisfactory, while
the increases noted last year (except in the fourth quarter of the year) may be ascribed to the
exceptional meteorological conditions of the year. The comparison affords further proof of the
conclusion already hazarded, that the diarrhoeal mortality in the third quarter of last year was
not commensurate with the excessive temperature, when judged by the experience of preceding
hot summers.
In previous years this has been the only rate which could be used in comparison with
other districts. In Table 10 (last line but one) will be found the nett rates and the corresponding
mean rates for the circumjacent districts, all the rates for the past year being in excess of the
means. In Kensington only (rate, 142 ; mean, 125) were the figures higher than in the Borough.
The fully corrected rates (last line of the same table) are to the same effect.*
As no particulars of the home addresses are given with the " transferred births," they
cannot be considered when dealing with the infantile mortality rates recorded in the Wards of
the Borough, and recourse has, therefore, been had to the "corrected " rates, which overstate the
facts to some extent.†
* The fully corrected rate for Willesden is not included in the tables from the Annual Summary which have
been received (in proof) from the Registrar-General.
†The inclusion of the " transferred births " lowered the " corrected" rate in the Borough as a whole by some
4 per 1,000. In some of the Wards the reduction would be considerably greater, in others less.