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 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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11
Perinatal Mortality.
Perinatal Mortality (stillbirths plus deaths in first week of life
per 1,000 total births) 39.74
This figure is given for the first time in this report although it has
been in use by the Registrar General for many years.
The majority of infant deaths now occur in the first week of life
and most of these deaths are due to factors operating during pregnancy
and birth. These are also the factors which tend to cause still-birth.
The Perinatal Mortality, which is the number of still-births plus the
number of deaths in the first week ol life per 1,000 total births, is therefore
an index of the total mortality due to factors arising before and during
birth.
Infant Mortality.
| Cause of Death. | Total. | Legitimate. | Illegitimate. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pneumonia | 1 | 1 | — |
| Gastritis, Enteritis and Diarrhoea | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Congenital Malformations | 1 | 1 | — |
| *Other Defined and Ill-Defined Diseases | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| Accidents (other than motor vehicles) | 2 | 2 | — |
| 23 | 16 | 7 |
* This is the Registrar-General's classification; but such conditions
as prematurity, birth injuries and other fatal conditions relating to the
process of birth are included under this heading.
The figures given above show that the infant mortality rate is composed
of a rate of 16.8 for legitimate infants and 65.4 for illegitimate infants.
The latter is unusually high and a further analysis has been made as below:—
| Up to 1 week | Over 1 week up to 1 mth. | Over 1 mth. up to 1 yr. | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Rate | No. | Rate | No. | Rate | No. | Rate | |
| Illegitimate | 6 | 56.07 | 1 | 9.3 | — | — | 7 | 65.4 |
| Legitimate | 11 | 11.5 | 2 | 2.1 | 3 | 3.2 | 16 | 16.8 |