View report page

62
mortality in childhood.
Such a comparison is, however, of little use without taking into consideration the ages of the
children at the first visit. The statement given below shows that there was little difference
Percentages of Children
Visited at ages of
Weeks. Months. Not
0— 1— 2— 3— 0— 1— 2— 3— Stated.
1911 0.9 9.5 27.0 14.4 51.8 20.8 9.3 12.9 5.1
1910 0.9 7.1 25.3 18.2 51.4 24.0 8.8 11.0 4.7
between the age distributions of the two years, so that it is to be concluded that methods of
feeding other than that from the breast were more common among the children visited last year.
Confirmation of that conclusion is afforded by the fact that the proportion of children under one
month old who were being breast-fed was 82.7 per cent. last year, as against 88.6 in the previous
year. The total proportion of children being fed artificially, that is, by bottle alone, was 141 per
cent., as compared with 11.1 in 1910, and those on a mixed diet, i.e., breast supplemented by the
bottle, 81 per cent. (0 8,1910). At ages under one month, 9.1 per cent. were being fed artificially
(7.3 in 1910) and 6.5 per cent. (41 in 1910) were on a mixed diet. In view of the above figures
it is unsatisfactory to find that 559 children were not visited during the past year owing to
pressure of other work.
In the course of the inquiries information was obtained of the total numbers of children
born to the families visited and the number dead. Such information related to 1,659 families
and 5,957 children, among whom there had been 972 deaths, equal to a mortality of 163 per
1,000. In 1910 the ratio of deaths to children born alive was 162, and in 1909, 185.
Of the children who were born and visited during the year 81 died before the close of the
year, equal to a mortality of 47 per 1,000, the mortality among the unvisited children being
approximately 114 per 1,000. The deaths included 38 of breast-fed children (28 per 1,000), 30 of
artificially fed (140 per 1,000), and 13 on a mixed diet (92 per 1,000). Below is a tabulation
of the causes of death of children who died before and after visit. It has to be remembered
that one death among the latter has the same relative weight as 2'4 deaths among the former.
Causes of Death of Children Dying Before After
Visit. Visit.
Total Deaths 140 81
Including—
Premature Birth 37 5
Congenital Defects (including Atelectasis) 13 2
Debility (including Debility at Birth) 22 10
Injury at Birth 7 —
Diarrhœal Diseases 29 46
Measles — —
Whooping Cough 1 —
Syphilis 1 1
Convulsions 5 1
Respiratory Diseases 5 5
Overlaid 4 —
Work by the " School for Mothers."—The following extracts from the Annual
Report of the School will be of interest:—
Visiting.—The proportions of children on each class of diet were—
Breast-fed 80 per cent.
Bottle-fed 11 „
Mixed feeding 7 „
Feeding not stated 2