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London had therefore in the period 1892-1901 a lower infant mortality than any of
these towns except Bristol, and in 1902 a lower infant mortality than any except Bristol,
Bradford, Hull and Newcastle.

It will be seen from the foregoing table that the rate of infant mortality was highest
in Shoreditch (174) and lowest in Hampstead (87). The infant mortality in London during
each of the four quarters of the year 1902 was as follows—first quarter 132; second quarter 119;
third quarter 149; and fourth quarter 155 per 1,000 births.
With a view to reducing infant mortality the corporation of St. Helens established in 1899
a milk depôt for the supply of sterilised humanised milk for the feeding of infants. This example
was followed by one or two other authorities, and more recently the Borough Council of
Battersea has adopted the same course. Dr. McCleary's annual report contains some interesting
figures which may be referred to here. Comparing the mean infant mortality of Battersea, Fulham,
Lambeth, and Camberwell in the last six months of the period 1897-1901 with that in the
last six months of 1902, during which milk from the depôt of the borough council was supplied in
Battersea, he shows that the reduction in the later period was more marked in Battersea than in
any of the other districts, and to this reduction he thinks the milk from this depôt has contributed.
Again, he compares the mortality of 394 children thus fed, with the infant mortality of Battersea,
and he finds a marked difference between the two populations in favour of the children supplied
from the depôt. For the purpose of more precise comparison he excludes from both populations the
figures relating to a sub-district in which the infant mortality is low, and in which few children
lived who were supplied with milk, and obtains wider differences in the mortality figures, again,
in favour of the children thus supplied; and, finally, he excludes from his depot-fed children the
deaths of those who died within one week of the beginning of the supply, and from the other
children the deaths of those who died within a week of birth, with a like result. Dr. McCleary
states that a contention that children thus fed are the offspring of parents of more than average
carefulness is not without an element of truth, but against this may be set the fact that by far the
greater number of these children were in ill-health. The experience of a longer period and of
varying meteorological conditions in this connection will be of much interest.
Deaths from certain diseases and groups of diseases.