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Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
71
Of the causes contributory to the infants' deaths, four had had
digestive trouble from birth, one was in and out of hospital for four
months with wasting, diarrhoea and sickness, one had had Whooping
Cough, two had had previous attacks of Diarrhoea, three were taken
ill and died within 24 hours, having had no previous illness,and one
was taken to a Hospital suffering from scalds and shock and died
there from Enteritis. Four mothers said they had noticed many
flies at the time of the child's illness, and in one case there were
stables at the rear of the house.
The next Table shows the result of the inquiries made after
these deaths, arranged in Wards, and there is also shown the
number of infants who had been previously visited, the number of
illegitimate infants, and the social status of the parents.
It will be also seen in the Table that only 11 of the infants who
died from Diarrhœa had been fed in accordance with the pamphlet
left by the Inspectors, and also that of the total number of deaths
in which information was obtained, viz. :—83, 11 were prematurely
born, 27 were delicate from birth, and three were twin children.