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22
Dinners for Nursing Mothers.—The scheme of supplying these
dinners, started by Mrs. Methold in 1907, has been continued during
the winter months. The object is to minimise, in some degree,
infant mortality by giving good meals to expectant or actual nursing
mothers during the two months before and the nine months after confinement.
The dinners are iutended only for such women as are in real
want; one penny is charged, and the dinners must be consumed on the
premises. During the winter (1908-9) 1,335 meals were given to 52
women.
Deaths.
2,437 deaths were registered in the City in the 52 weeks ending the
1st January, 1910. After deducting 1,091 deaths of non-citizens in
public institutions in the City, and adding those of 881 citizens who died
in other districts, the corrected total is 2,196, and is equivalent to
an annual rate of 12.7 per 1,000 persons. The London death-rate
for the same period was 14.0, and for England and Wales 14.4, the
lowest rate on record (see Table VI).
Tables VI to XIII show the vital statistics of the City and five
groups of districts from 1891 to 1909.

The Ward rates are shown in Table VI.
Cause of death at all Ages.—These are set forth in Table VIII, and
also their distribution in the various Wards of the City.
Influenza again caused an excess of deaths, and was accompanied
by an increase in the number of deaths from chest diseases. Phthisis
deaths show an increase, those from cancer are slightly less than those
recorded in 1908. There were more deaths from scarlet fever, whoopingCough,
diabetes, nervous diseases and old age.
Ages at Death.—Of the total deaths, 258 were those of children under
1 year of age, and 755 of persons over 65 years of age; these are referable
to the various wards, as follows:—