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54
MORTALITY IN CHILDHOOD.
In the families which had lost children, there were 536 mothers who had been pregnant
3,459 times, 139 (4.0 per cent.) of the pregnancies being reported to have been interrupted by
miscarriage, and 69 (2.0 per cent.) to have resulted in still-born children. The remaining 3,251
pregnancies yielded 3,304 living children. In this group the families averaged 616 children per
100 women. Of the 3,304 children born alive, 919 were reported to have been dead at the time
of the inquiry, equal to a mortality of 278 per 1,000.
Mortality in Special Areas.—The infantile mortality rates recorded in the "Special Areas"
are given in Table 36. It will be seen that last year's rate in Hall Park (160) was greatly
in excess of that for 1913 (96), and of the average for the five years (101). On the other
hand, the rates in "North Wharf" and "Queen's Park" were much lower than those for 1913
and the averages.
The effect produced on the mortality in the various Wards by the elimination of the figures
relating to the Special Areas is shown in the following statement:—

The total mortality for the combined "Areas" was 132 per 1,000 births, as compared with
78 in the "Rest of the Borough." In 1913 the corresponding rates were 133 and 85 respectively.
An examination of the rates given in Table 37 shows that the diarrhœal and respiratory diseases
were almost entirely responsible for the high mortality in the "Areas."
At Ages One to Five Years.
For the purpose of measuring the mortality at these ages the numbers of survivors at each
age are taken out annually. It was estimated that at the beginning of the year there were 10,394
children aged from 1-5 years in the Borough, among whom 104 deaths were recorded during the
succeeding twelve months. The mortality in the whole group was at the rate of 1000 per
1,000 survivors last year, as compared with a rate of 1672 in 1913, and an average of 13 99.
The unusually low rate recorded last year is attributable to the reduced mortality at ages 1-2
years and 2-3 years. (See below.)

Table 38 shows the mortality rates from certain selected causes of death. Attention is
drawn to the exceptionally low mortalities from measles and the respiratory diseases last year.
The sex-age rates recorded in each Ward of the Borough will be found in Table 39.
Mortality among Illegitimate Children.
The deaths of 55 illegitimate children were recorded last year in the Borough, including 12
of non-resident children. In outlying districts 12 other deaths were recorded belonging to the
Borough; the corrected total thus equals the first-mentioned figure. The number of such deaths
in 1913 was 54, and in 1912, 44.