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46
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
In September, although the rainfall was small, yet the temperature
remained low, and as was the case in 1909, during these
three months dust and flies were conspicuous by their absence.
The work of the Inspectors, both male and female, has also
largely contributed to the reduction of this mortality, the former
in securing more cleanly and sanitary conditions of houses and
yards, and the latter in the education of mothers as to the proper
methods of infant feeding.
The higher infantile mortality rates in Tooting and Wandsworth
were not due to directly preventible causes as will also be
seen from a perusal of the Table. The causes of these higher
rates are Premature Birth with Developmental diseases, and
Respiratory diseases, causes which are not so amenable to control
by the Sanitary Authority. In Tooting the rate from Premature
Birth was 21, from Developmental diseases 20, and from Respiratory
diseases 23 per 1,000 births; in Wandsworth 14.33, 21.71
and 21.27; whereas in Putney the rate from Premature Birth was
10.18, from Developmental diseases 18.32; and in Streatham the
rate from Respiratory diseases was 7.29 per 1,000 births.