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
City of Westminster 1905
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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17
in children are due to causes which are preventible, it is to be
hoped that the steps which will be taken in coming years will
do much to prevent this waste of infant life. The provision of
addresses where children are born enables visits to be made with a
view to giving instructions and advice where these are required. A
leaflet has been prepared by the Westminster Health Society on the
subject, and several of the Eegistrars kindly distribute copies to parents;
various maternity societies and similar departments of hospitals also
co-operate.
An examination of the particulars ascertained in 140 cases of
infantile deaths shows that there had been 542 births in the same
families, and that nearly half (48.1 per cent.) of the children had died.
Infant Mortality Statistics for 1905.
| Original Number in Family. | Number of Families. | Total Births in Families. | Total Deaths. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 2 | 28 | 56 | 31 |
| 3 | 20 | 60 | 23 |
| 4 | 15 | 60 | 23 |
| 5 | 9 | 45 | 14 |
| 6 | 9 | 54 | 32 |
| 7 | 7 | 49 | 23 |
| 8 | 3 | 24 | 13 |
| 9 | 1 | 9 | 4 |
| 10 | 3 | 30 | 13 |
| 11 | 5 | 55 | 20 |
| 12 | 3 | 36 | 14 |
| 13 | 1 | 13 | 10 |
| 16 | 1 | 16 | 6 |
| 140 | 542 | 261 = 481 per 1,000 births in these families. |
The distribution of the infantile deaths in the City is shown in
Table V., together with the rates per 1,000 corrected births. The rates
are above the average (105) in Conduit with 200, St. John's with 129,
and Covent Garden Ward with 149.