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The death rate from zymotic disease per 1,000 of the population was 0.14
compared with 0.13 in the Metropolis
The deaths from Phthisis correspond to a rate of 1.05 per 1,000 of the population,
as compared with .93 in the Metropolis.
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
The deaths of children under one year of age were at the rate of 117 per
1,000 births, as against 69 for the whole of London.
Too much importance should not be paid to what is obviously a high infantile
death rate. Statistical results are liable to very considerable fluctuations when
numbers are few as is the case in the City. The increase over 1923 of practically
40 per cent, results from a decrease of 17 in the number of births and an increase
of 2 in the number of deaths.
NOTIFICATION OF BIRTHS ACT, 1907, AND INFANT
WELFARE WORK.
No new work has been undertaken in connection with Infant Welfare Work.
Care has, of course, continued to be given to the City infants and the usual clinic
has been held every Wednesday at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Supplies of milk,
in some cases at cost price and in others free, have been provided in accordance
with the scheme outlined in my annual report for 1921.
442 notifications of births, made in accordance with the Notification of Births
Act, were received. Of these only 87 belonged to the City, and the balance were
transferred to the appropriate Authorities.
Miss Wilkinson, who undertakes the work in connection with the Notification
of Births Act and Infant Welfare, reports having made 321 visits in connection
with birth notification and 101 special visits in connection with infant welfare.
Seven visits have also been made in respect of cases coming within the scope
of the Children Act, 1908 ; mainly in relation to nurse children. At the centre
above referred to. a total of 564 attendances was made by mothers.
ADVICE TO WIVES AND MOTHERS.
To ensure that Mothers were in possession of reliable advice on the best
methods to adopt in relation to the care of their children, a card was prepared
some years ago, a copy of which was handed to all Mothers when the birth of a
child was notified. This year it was decided to replace the card by copies of the
booklet issued by the National League for Health, Maternity and Child Welfare.
This pamphlet has been drawn up with the object of securing uniformity of
instruction throughout the country, and it has, I understand, been adopted by a
large number of Local Authorities.