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44
1913]
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
There were 898 deaths among infants under one year of age, and as there
were 8,359 born into the borough, the infantile mortality was at the
rate of 107 per 1,000 births. This rate is good for Islington, as it has been
less on only two previous occasions: in 1910 when it was 95, and in 1912
when it was 86.
The returns for preceding years up to 1885 show that the infant mortality
has averaged 136 per 1,000 births, and that since 1901 there has been a slow
but sure decline in it. Thus from 1886 to 1890 it averaged 147; from 1891
to 1895, 145; 1896 to 1900, 150; from 1901 to 1905, 130; from 1906 to 1910,
109; while from 1901 the separate figures for each year have been: —
1901—139 1906—125 1911—128
1902—132 1907—117 1912—86
1903—126 1908—103 1913—107
1904—128 1909—103
1905—123 — 1910—95
Good though the rates of the past two years are for the borough, yet they
are not good enough, because they could without doubt be lessened considerably
if special efforts were made to effect a reduction. Islington possesses many
natural advantages which tend to a low mortality among infants, for it has
more roomy houses, wide streets, squares, and open spaces than are usually to
be found either in London or in provincial towns. Hence the mortality should
be low; yet in St. Pancras last year it was only 92, in Hornsey 60,
and in Stoke Newington 82. The rate in St. Pancras is to be noted, for
although it was higher there than in the preceding year, yet it
followed a low rate in 1912. This was anticipated because of the special
efforts that have of late years been made there to dispel maternal ignorance,
which causes so many deaths among infants, by the employment of those
agencies which are now widely recognised as necessary when dealing with
this problem. Much has been said in the past by the Medical Officer of
Health on this subject, and he does not propose to dwell further on it now,
although he hopes that the example of other communities may in time induce
his Borough to adopt similar measures to those employed by them There
is no doubt that to their ill-feeding is due far too much of the sickness and
mortality among infants. Indeed, from the particulars as to the feeding of
infants who have died here from diarrhoeal diseases, given in Table XXV., is
deduced the fact that only 17.5 per cent, of the infants under three months