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 1920
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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15
The rate of 49'4 in legitimate children in the Greek Street area is
remarkable.
The causes of death of children under 1 year of age in the three areas are set forth in Tables appended, and a summary showing the proportion of deaths per 1,000 births from various grouped causes in the last seven years is set out below :—
| 1914. | 1915. | 1916. | 1917. | 1918. | 1919. | 1920. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Influenza | 0.4 | 0.5 | — | — | 6.81 | 5.62 | — |
| Measles | 0.9 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 3.9 | 0.68 | 1.87 | 2.21 |
| Whooping cough | 5.0 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 0.62 | —_ |
| Septic diseases | 2.3 | 1.5 | — | 1.9 | — | — | 0.44 |
| Bronchitis and pneumonia | 11.5 | 14.1 | 15.4 | 16.8 | 16.35 | 10.00 | 12.80 |
| Stomach and bowel complaints | 12.5 | 151 | 12.7 | 71 | 10 89 | 8.75 | 9.29 |
| Syphilis | 1.4 | 50 | 4.9 | 8.4 | 613 | 5.62 | 2.64 |
| Congenital malformations | 7.4 | 4.5 | 6.7 | 5.8 | 4.76 | 3.75 | 6.19 |
| Prematurity | 16.6 | 20.7 | 20.9 | 27.2 | 23.3 | 21.2 | 15.40 |
| Neglect and injury at birth | 4.6 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 8.17 | 7.50 | 7.07 |
| Debility from birth and atrophy, rickets, atalectasis | 6.9 | 10.7 | 5.5 | 13.6 | 8.17 | 13.12 | 11.48 |
| Tuberculosis | 0.9 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 2.6 | 6.13 | 2.50 | 1.76 |
| Other causes | 6.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 7.1 | 5.45 | 6.82 | 4.34 |
| 77.4 | 90.8 | 82.7 | 103.0 | 100.24 | 87.50 | 73.62 |
Infant death-rates are usually stated as so many per 1,000 births
which occur in the same year. But only a proportion of the deaths are of
children born in the same year, thus, of the 167 infants dying in 1920,
29 were infants born in 1919. Consequently a year with a high birth-rate
following a year with a low one may show a reduced infantile rate. If the
birth-rate in 1921 falls again, then the converse may take place and the
infantile death-rate will be higher in 1921 than in 1920. The RegistrarGeneral
calculated the death-rates for the years 1912-17 inclusive on the
estimated population under 1 year of age, showing the effect of a
high birth-rate on the deaths in the succeeding year. Worked out on
this method, the infantile death-rate shows a continuous fall in each of
the war years in England and Wales from 117 to 94.