London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hornsey 1956

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hornsey, Borough of]

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GENERAL
PERINATAL MORTALITY
At the turn of the century something like one in every seven babies
born died before they reached the end of the first year of life. The great
advances in public health and in medicine during this century have
reduced this appalling mortality enormously but the position has now
been reached where no further advance is being made.
The majority of these deaths occur in the first month of life, the neonatal
deaths so-called; and most of these occur in the first week. The
causes of death at this time are by and large the same as the causes of
still-birth and the two are often grouped together for purposes of study
as perinatal deaths. These so-called causes are really little more than
descriptive titles e.g. congenital debility, congenital deformity, prematurity.
Indeed they are more aptly described as effects rather than causes and the
latter often remain unknown. Progress is being made however as for
example the elucidation of the rhesus blood-group incompatibility as a
cause of death and injury and the effects of viruses on the foetus.
During 1956 a survey of the position in Hornsey showed that while the
perinatal mortality was appreciably below the national average nevertheless
this hard core of deaths remained on which no impression was being
made. Discussions were held with representatives of the two large
hospitals in which most of the Hornsey births take place and it was
decided as from January 1st 1957 to keep detailed records of perinatal
deaths on a form adapted from that used for maternal deaths. Further
meetings are to be held from time to time to discuss these records. It is
hoped by these means to ascertain whether any of the deaths are avoidable.

The following table gives the relevant statistics for the past six years and for 1938.

Year1. Stillbirths2. Deaths under 1 week3. Deaths between 1 week and 1 month4. Deaths between 1 month and 1 year5. Total infant deaths6. Perinatal mortality (Total of columns 1 and 2)
193845198123964
19513122673553
19522720142547
195326181123144
19542120152641
19552613572539
195628194113447