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13
Ward Death-Kates.

Further details of tlie deaths and death-rates for the different wards and registration
sub-districts will be found in Table 4, on page 92.
Infantile Mortality.
272 deaths of infants under one year of age took place in St. Pancras during the year.
This is equal to a rate of 63 per thousand births. It is one of the most gratifying features of
this report to be able to state that the infant death-rate during the past year was by far the
lowest ever recorded in the Borough. The previous lowest rate was in 1920, when the infant
death-rate was 73 per thousand births. The figure for the past year shows, therefore, an
improvement of no less than 10 per thousand over the lowest previously recorded.
In Table 1, on page 86, the corresponding rates for previous years are given, and in
Table 4, on page 92, the figures will be found for the different wards and registration subdistricts,
and in Table 5, on page 93, the infant mortality rates in England and Wales,
the County of London, the Metropolitan Boroughs, and certain of the large towns with
populations exceeding 125,000.
The principal factors which contributed to the low infant death-rate of 1923 were the
small number of deaths from measles and whooping cough, and, consequently, fewer deaths
from bronchitis and pneumonia, which are common complications of the two first-named
diseases.
The number of deaths due to diarrhoea and enteritis was also low. These complaints are
usually prevalent in hot, dry, summer months, and, being largely caused by food contamination,
chiefly attack artificially-fed infants. In this connection it is fair to assume that the work and
teaching of the Infant Welfare Centres of the Borough have especially contributed to the
success achieved.
Excluding the above-mentioned diseases, the other chief causes of infant mortality
were premature birth, congenital malformations, and debility. During the past year these
affections were responsible for 46 per cent., and during the past 10 years were the cause of
from 30 to 40 per cent. of the total annual infant mortality. It is important also to note that in
nearly all these cases the infants died daring the first week of life—it is obvious that infant
welfare work can do little to diminish mortality at so early a period. The causes, no doubt, are
primarily due to parental affections, and it is to be hoped that an extension of work in the
ante-natal clinics will be successful in reducing this high mortality.
In the Tables on the next three pages are shown:—
(1) The causes of death of children under 12 months of age during 1923, classified
according to age at death ; and
(2) The causes of death of children under 12 months of age during the ten
previous years. In this Table the number of births in each year is also stated
for reference.
(3) The principal causes of death of children under 5 years of age during 1923
and the four previous years.