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59 infant deaths were investigated ; of these—
22 were naturally fed.
29 were hand fed.
8 were too young to have had any food.
Infant Weighing.—During last year 149 infants were brought
to the Town Hall to be weighed, and their total visits numbered
572. 7 children came from neighbouring Boroughs and 142 from
Stoke Newington. It is a striking fact that while the infant deathrate
for Stoke Newington last year was 82.7, only 2 of the children
who attended the weighing died; one of these had only attended
once, and one was born delicate in very distressing home circumstances.
The death-rate among these 149 children (a large percentage
of whom were hand fed) was therefore only 13.4 per 1,000.
I am sure that if every infant born could be weighed at
regular intervals and the mother taught step by step how best to
feed and care for her baby, the infant death-rate amongst children
born healthy would be an exceedingly small one.
That great ignorance in infant rearing does prevail is all too
evident from the cases which come to our notice in this way.
I quote the following case, which is only one of many others :
An infant born outside this Borough moved into Stoke Newington
at the age of 9½ months, and within a week was brought here to
be weighed. She was fed every hour on Nestle's milk diluted
with very thick barley water (made eight times too strong), and
because she cried incessantly she was fed between these feeds on
nursery biscuits. She had only gained 2½ lb. since birth, and was
the weight of a normal child of between 2 and 3 months old. When
fed upon proper lines the child soon began to improve.
We are greatly indebted to Dr. New, Miss Eve, Miss Webb,
Miss Stevens, and Mrs. Barker, for their valuable assistance, as
Voluntary Workers, in this infant-care work.
SENILE MORTALITY.—Of the 662 deaths, 253 were of
persons over 65 years of age. The proportion of deaths occurring
among those of over 65 years of age to the total deaths is,