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109
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
In all 3,518 infants were visited, compared with 3,448 in 1910,
and 2,269 in 1909.
It is satisfactory to observe that with the assistance of the
voluntary workers, infants were visited in all the Wards of the
Borough.
The total number of deaths among those visited was 150,
18 in Clapham, 20 in Putney, 21 in Streatham, 21 in Tooting,
and 70 in Wandsworth. Table LVI. shows these deaths arranged
in monthly age periods. The heaviest mortality occurred at three
to four months, while no deaths occurred at 10 to 11 months.
The increase in the deaths, compared with previous years,
was due to the increase in the number of deaths from Diarrhoea
and Enteritis.
It is a most significant fact that the number of deaths from
Diarrhoea and Enteritis among 2,880 infants who were breastfed
was only four, or a percentage mortality of "14, while among
638 infants who were otherwise fed the number of deaths was 82
or a percentage mortality of 13. The mortality among infants
otherwise fed was thus 93 times greater than those breast-fed.
The mortality among the infants visited by the Inspectors
was only 43 per 1,000, compared with 122 per 1,000 the rate for
the Borough for the year.