London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
The trend sincc 1946 is shown below :
Table (vi)—Infant mortality by cause—1946-57 (Rates per 1,000 live births)
| Cause of death | 1946 to 1950 | 1951 to 1955 | 1956 | 1957 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whooping cough | 0.55 | 0.13 | 0.04 | 0.02 |
| Tuberculosis | 0.26 | 0.07 | – | – |
| Measles | 0.08 | 0.06 | – | – |
| Bronchitis and pneumonia | 5.48 | 3.74 | 3.32 | 2.88 |
| Gastro–enteritis | 2.83 | 0.74 | 0.35 | 0.42 |
| Immaturity | 6.93 | 4.26 | 4.10 | 4.27 |
| Congenital malformations | 4.32 | 3.62 | 3.70 | 3.96 |
| Injury at birth | 2.33 | 2.69 | 2.64 | 2.98 |
| Post–natal asphyxia and atelectasis | 3.48 | 3.92 | 3.66 | 4.17 |
| Haemolytic disease | (a) | 0.65 | 0.61 | 0.51 |
| Convulsions | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.02 | – |
| Accidental mechanical suffocation | 1.10 | 0.15 | 0.21 | 0.23 |
| Other causes | 4.24 | 3.24 | 2.55 | 2.56 |
| All causes | 32 | 23 | 21 | 22 |
(a) Included in other causes.
Neo.natal
mortality
A comparison with England and Wales for both neo-natal (deaths in the first four weeks) and infant mortality (deaths in the first year) is as follows:
| Rates per 1,000 live births | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year(s) | Neo-natal mortality | Infant mortality | ||
| London | England and Wales | London | England and Wales | |
| 1946-1950 | 18.4 | 21.1 | 31.6 | 36.4 |
| 1951-1955 | 16.2 | 18.0 | 23.3 | 26.9 |
| 1956 | 15.9 | 16.8 | 21.2 | 23.7 |
| 1957 | 16.3 | 16.5 | 22.0 | 23.1 |
Perinatal
mortality
The great majority of all the neo-natal deaths occur in the first seven days of life
and of these about half occur in the first day. Thus the distinction between still-births
and live births in such cases is very narrow and the term ' perinatal' mortality is used
to describe the total loss of life before, during and shortly after birth. The definition
adopted in this report includes still-births and deaths in the first week of life. Comparative
rates for perinatal mortality per 1,000 total births are given below for London
and England and Wales :
Year(s)
Londoi
England
and
Wales
Year
London
England
and
Wales
1946-1950 35.5 39.8 1956 33.3 36.8
1951-1955 33.9 38.2 1957 34.2 36.3
The medical conditions causing still-birth cannot be determined since certification
of the cause of still-birth is not required in this country although it is in Scotland.
Following representations made to the Ministry of Health during 1957 a special inquiry
under Ministry auspices is to be made into perinatal mortality in certain areas, including
London, commencing in 1958. (The National Birthday Trust Fund also made a similar
inquiry in March, 1958, and the results are awaited with considerable interest.)
11