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46
19081
preventable diseases such as atrophy, marasmus and wasting debility, bronchitis
and pneumonia; while finally there is that class of diseases which are
grouped as non-preventable, such as premature births and congenital defects,
although they too in a very large measure can be prevented by the proper instruction
of the mothers before the births of their offspring.
It is not proposed to discuss these matters now, for this has already
been very fully done in the Medical Officer of Health's report on the " Prevention
of Infantile Mortality," which was presented to, and considered by,
the Council in the early part of 1908.
Favourable though the meteorological conditions of the year were, it
is unsatisfactory to find that 21.46 infants out of every thousand born in the
year died before they were a week old, a rate which, notwithstanding all
the favourable conditions, was slightly above the mean rate of the preceding
three years, when it was 21.35. If infants had continued to die in this proportion,
none would have been living at the end of 327 days
At the end of the first month of life, it is found that out of every 1,000
infants born 35.77 had died, and at the end of three months 56'55 ; or in other
words considerably more than one half of the infantile mortality took place in the
first three months of life, a state of affairs which to a very large measure is
due to causes which might be prevented if the mothers were properly instructed.
It is no use blinking the fact, for everyone who has the least knowledge
of the subject says so, that the instruction of mothers is an absolute
necessity if anything is to be done to reduce this terrible mortality, and all
the vapourings of irresponsible persons cannot alter it.
The question of proper and suitable health visitors is one that cannot
be for ever burked, and although the Medical Officer of Health may not deem
it his duty to endeavour to force his advice on the Council yet he feels assured
that the Council of themselves will at no distant date see how absolutely
necessary it is to appoint them.
INFANTILE MORTALITY IN THE SUB-DISTRICTS.
One need only study the infantile mortality in the sub-districts to quickly
arrive at the conclusion that want of knowledge and social conditions are
a very important factor in the causation of the deaths of infants.
In the figures given below this is very apparent, for there it is noticeable
that in those districts where the people are well-to-do and prosperous, and,
therefore, presumably educated, the mortality is lowest, while in the low class
districts, where also presumably the people are badly educated and more or
less ignorant, the mortality is highest. Thus it is found that in Upper
Holloway during the last seven years the infantile mortality rate has been only
98 per thousand, whereas in Lower Holloway, which includes that district