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Infantile Mortality.
280 deaths of infants under 1 vear of age occurred in the Borough during the yeai'.
This is equal to a rate of 72 per thousand births, and represents a decrease of 2 per 1000 as
compared with the previous year. With one exception, this is the lowest number of Infant
Deaths and lowest rate of Infantile Mortality hitherto recorded in any year.
In Table 1, on page 104, the corresponding rates for previous years are given, and in
Table 4, on page 110, the figures for each ward will be found.
Attention is directed to Table 5, on page 111, which gives the infant mortality rates for
England and Wales, the County of London, the Metropolitan Boroughs, and certain of the
large towns. It will be noticed that 18 of the London Boroughs had a lower rate of Infant
Mortality and only 9 a higher rate than St. Pancras.
The chief causes of Infant deaths during the year were Prematurity, etc., which was
responsible for no less than 103 deaths out of a total of 230 from all causes ; Bronchitis and
Pneumonia, from which diseases 57 infants died; Diarrhoea and Enteritis, which caused 45 deaths
under 1 year of age; and Measles and Whooping Cough, from which 30 infants died.
Deaths of infants from Prematurity and Congenital defects probably have little
connection with their environment, as the majority of such deaths occur within the first few
weeks of life. The other principal causes of death affecting infants and young children, namely
Diarrhoea and Enteritis, Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Measles and Whooping Cough are, no doubt,
to a considerable extent, accentuated by bad environment. At my request Dr. Back made an
investigation with reference to infant mortality and overcrowding, and as to the percentage of
children under 5 years of age dying from the diseases above mentioned and the conditions
under which they were living. The result is as follows : —
Figures based on the Census report of 1921, show that in St. Pancras in that year, 206
per cent, of the population were living under conditions of overcrowding, the definition of
overcrowding used being that of the Registrar General, namely, more than two persons per
room. This proportion (20 6 per cent.) is high and was exceeded in only 6 other Metropolitan
Boroughs. It is shown in Table A that all these Boroughs have also higher average infant
mortality rates for the 5 years 1920-1924.

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