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35
statistics of childhood

The higher rate in the Areas of last year was chiefly due to excessive mortality from
diarrhoea—Rate in the Areas, 43; in the Rest of the Borough, 20; and respiratory diseases
(mainly pneumonia)—Rate in the Areas, 22; in the Rest of the Borough, 13. On the other
hand, the mortality from the developmental diseases was higher (34) in the Rest of the
Borough than in the areas (30), that from congenital defects in the Areas (4) being onehalf
of the rate recorded in the Rest of the Borough (7). There was no death from injury
at birth in the Areas, but 6 (rate 3) in the Rest of the Borough. Speaking generally, the rates
at all ages under one year were higher last year in the Areas than in the Rest of the Borough,
which is unusual.
Illegitimates.-—Last year there were 36 deaths of illegitimate infants at ages under
one year (males, 24; females, 12), giving a mortality rate of 160 per ],000 births of these
infants. During 1909-13 this rate averaged 266 per 1,000, and in the next quinquennium 259,
The rates for 1919 and 1920 being 156 and 218 respectively. These infants have, therefore,
shared in the reduction in the mortality rate recorded in recent years. In the tabulation
given below the fluctuations recorded in the rates for each sex, both among legitimate and
illegitimate infants, are set out. The disparity between the rates for males and those for
females has been more accentuated in recent years among illegitimate infants.

Children, aged 1-5 Years.—The mortality among these is calculated on the number of
survivors in each age group, obtained by carrying over the excess of births over deaths
recorded each year. The method is unsatisfactory in that the deaths are drawn from a
different "population," viz., the numbers living at the ages in question. The rates quoted are,
therefore, certainly too high, but that fact does not in all probability affect the comparison of
the rates recorded in a short series of years. From the figures given below, it appears that
the mortality rates for last year compare very favourably with those of the preceding years.