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12
The Amended Infant Life Protection Bill became operative on the
1st of January, 1898. Valuable provisions have been introduced to
ensure the notification to the Local Authority of children let out to
be nursed, the periodical visitation of their homes, the respectability
and bom fides of their nurses, and the sanitary state of their
surroundings; but it is regrettable that the clause allowing a woman
to receive one child for hire and reward without coming under the
Act is still partially retained, and that the value of the Bill should
thus be materially curtailed. Those women who receive children—
mostly illegitimate—and adopt them, one child at a time, for a sum
down, do not come under the Act, providing they receive payment
exceeding £20. Thus they are not affected by the provisions of the
Act if they receive £20 and Is. That is too small a price for the
disposal of an illegitimate child to ensure that some women will not
continue, by accepting one child at a time, for this remuneration, to rid
themselves of their charges by ill-feeding, exposure and neglect, and
thus to make a good living while snapping their fingers at the
Authorities.
The deaths under 1 year of age form 21.5 per cent. of the total
deaths at all ages, whereas for the preceding year they formed 24.7
per cent.; the rate for England and Wales was 25.7 per cent.; for
London generally 26.2 per cent.; and for the 33 Great Towns 28.4
per cent.
Senile Mortality.—Of the 473 deaths 129 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 therefore about 27 per
cent. There were 100 deaths of persons over 70 years of age, and
34 of persons over 80. These figures denote an exceptionally high
proportion of senile mortality.
The Causes of Death.—These are fully set forth in Table A, in
which it will be noted that the deaths are also apportioned to different
age-periods. Table A 1 is supplementary to Table A, and sets forth
the causes of death in each of the two Divisions of the Parish a
little more fully. Table A 2 shows the deaths during each of the
four quarters of the year.