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
Paddington 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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66 MORTALITY IN CHILDHOOD.
Mortality at Ages 1-5 Years.
For some years records have been kept of the numbers of children surviving to each age
from 1 to 5 years, such figures being obtained by deducting in each year the numbers dying at
each age 0 to 4 years from the numbers born or surviving at those ages. By such method it was
estimated that the survivors aged 1-5 years numbered 10,637 last year, and the deaths at those
ages numbered 124. The mortality deduced from those figures was at the rate of 11.65 per 1,000,
as compared with 13"56 in 1911, and an annual average for the five years 1907-11 of 14.52.
Similar calculations—distinguishing the sexes—have been made, at each year of age for each
Ward of the Borough, but those at ages 3 and 4 years do not go farther back than 1908 and
1909 respectively. The figures for the whole Borough are given below, and those for the Wards
will be found in Table 41.
Mortality Rates.
Per 1,000 Estimated Living.
Ages 1— 2— 3— 4—5
M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F.
1912 243 230 15 9 98 83 47 57 28
1907-11 36.4 27 6 12.5 12.4 67 7.6 6.4 6.0†
* 1908-11. † 1909-11.
It will be seen from the above figures that the last year's mortality rates of both sexes at
ages 1-2 and 4-5 were below the averages, and that at ages 2-3 and 3-4 the mortality for
1912 in males was in excess of the average, that for females, below. The causes for the increases
in the mortality among males appear to be (see Table 42) :—Age 2-3 years, respiratory
diseases (rate 1912, 7.6; 1907-11, 3.5) ; age 3-4 years, other causes (rate 1912, 4.5;
1907-11, 11).
Table 41. Mortality among Young Children.
| Age (Years) | 1— | 2— | 3— | 4—5 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Males. | Females. | Males. | Females. | Males. | Females. | Males. | Females. | ||||||||
| Period | 1912. | 1907-11. | 1912. | 1907-11. | 1912. | 1907-11. | 1912. | 1907-11. | 1912. | 1908-11. | 1912. | 1908-11. | 1912. | 1909-11. | 1912. | 1909-11. |
| Queen's Park | 27.8 | 31.7 | 32.0 | 29.3 | 17.6 | 10.1 | 10.8 | 10.2 | - | 3.9 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 10.4 | 8.7 | _ | 5.6 |
| Harrow Road | 12.3 | 23.7 | 15.7 | 17.5 | 26.8 | 8.4 | 6.6 | 9.4 | 6.6 | 4.-1 | — | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.6 | - | 7.4 |
| Maida Vale | 28.7 | 46.3 | _- | 19.8 | 5.9 | 11.1 | 5.1 | 9.7 | 5.9 | 8.1 | 11.6 | 14.9 | — | — | 5 .5 | 1./ |
| Westbourne | 53.7 | 37.1 | 34.8 | 26.0 | 4.6 | 14.1 | 15.5 | 8.7 | 4. 6 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 9.5 | — | 8.5 | 4.5 | 3./ |
| Church | 23.6 | 54.0 | 31.5 | 50.1 | 24.3 | 18.0 | 12.7 | 25.0 | 13.1 | 13.6 | 3.7 | 9.5 | 10.4 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 9.2 |
| Lancaster Gate, West | — | 18.3 | 43'.5 | 5.9 | — | — | - | 7.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 11.4 | — | — |
| ,, ,, East | _ | 28.2 | 38.4 | 7.1 | — | 10.7 | 37.1 | -- | 33.3 | — | — | 7.6 | 58.4 | — | — | 7.8 |
| Hyde Park | — | 17.7 | 12.6 | 17.8 | — | 13.6 | — | 7.5 | 22.4 | - | 12.7 | 6.1 | - | 12.4 | - | 3.7 |
Illegitimate Children.—The deaths of 43 illegitimate children were registered in the Borough
during the year, of whom 6 were the offspring of non-resident mothers. Seven deaths of these
children were transferred from outlying districts. The corrected number of deaths was 44,
32 of males and 12 of females, 3 of the children (2 males and 1 female) dying at ages 1-2 years.
The 41 deaths at ages under one year comprised 30 of males and 21 of females. In 1911
58 deaths occurred in the first year of life, the annual average for the five years 1907-11 being 37.
The infantile mortality among these children was at the rate of 220 per 1,000 illegitimate births