London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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| Year | Neo-natal mortality | Infant mortality | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | England and Wales | London | England and Wales | |
| 1953 | 16.1 | 17.7 | 23.9 | 26.8 |
| 1954 | 15.1 | 17.7 | 20.7 | 25.4 |
| 1955 | 16.7 | 17.3 | 23.2 | 24.9 |
| 1956 | 15.9 | 16.8 | 21.2 | 23.8 |
| 1957 | 16.3 | 16.5 | 22.0 | 23.1 |
| 1958 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 22.5 | 22.5 |
| 1959 | 15.7 | 15.8 | 22.4 | 22.2 |
| 1960 | 15.4 | 15.6 | 21.5 | 21.7 |
| 1961 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 21.4 | 21.6 |
| 1962 | 15.2 | 15.1 | 21.0 | 21.6 |
As regards neo-natal mortality there were 953 deaths in London; of this number 592
occurred in premature infants. An analysis of the total number of premature births by
birth weight and mortality is shown in the following table. Corresponding figures of
domiciliary confinements are shown in the section on domiciliary midwifery on page 57.
Table (xii)—
| Weight | Number | Proportion per 100 live premature infants | Died within 24 hours | Survived 28 days | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Per 100 live premature infants | Number | Per 100 live premature infants | |||
| 3 lb. 4 oz. or less | 579 | 12.0 | 239 | 41.3 | 233 | 40.2 |
| 3 lb. 5 oz. to 4 lb. 6 oz. | 830 | 17.2 | 51 | 6.1 | 722 | 87.0 |
| 4 lb. 7 oz. to 4 lb. 15 oz. | 942 | 19.5 | 26 | 2.8 | 881 | 93.5 |
| 5 lb. 0 oz. to 5 lb. 8 oz. | 2,485 | 51.3 | 26 | 1.0 | 2,408 | 96.9 |
| All premature babies | 4,836 | 100.0 | 342 | 7.1 | 4,244 | 87.8 |
| Year | London | England and Wales | Year | London | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 34.7 | 36.9 | 1958 | 34.3 | 35.1 |
| 1954 | 32.8 | 38.1 | 1959 | 32.7 | 34.2 |
| 1955 | 34.8 | 37.4 | 1960 | 31.2 | 32.9 |
| 1956 | 33.3 | 36.7 | 1961 | 32.0 | 32.2 |
| 1957 | 34.2 | 36.3 | 1962 | 29.8 | 30.8 |
The deaths in the first day of life are shown in table (x) on page 12. It will be apparent
from the preceding section that premature babies provided the major share. The cause of
stillbirth, the other component of perinatal mortality, was not known until certification
was introduced on 1 October, 1960 under the Population (Statistics) Act, 1960. The
following table gives the causes for 1962, but on the basis of the 1960 certificates only
about two-thirds of them were certified by medical practitioners.
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