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12
Babies born in that year were no better and no worse off so far as climate was
concerned than those born in 1907 and 1910. The rates may be quite safely
compared and there need be no hesitation whatever in saying that as compared with
1907 the outstanding feature of 1912 was that 10 more babies out of every 1,000
born reached the end of their first year in safety.
In 1911 the rate was 109'8 per 1,000. It will be remembered, however, that
the summer was an exceptionally hot and dry one, so that comparison of the figures
93 and 109'8 is not quite fair. For the reduction of the rate to 93 there can be no
doubt that the efforts put forth by the Council to improve sanitation and by them and
others, particularly on behalf of children, are largely responsible. The extent of the
responsibility of these efforts is indicated by the difference between 102.2 in 1907 and
93 in 1912. That it can be represented by the figures 109.8 and 93 for 1911 and 1912
cannot be pretended. Part of it is certainly due to differences in the weather, but
almost as certainly part of it was due to public health work.
Even greater efforts than those which had been put forth in the four or five
preceding years were made in 1912, and if they were capable of producing good
results in previous years, they may safely be credited with some of the marked
improvement shown in that year.
The whole of this report is largely a record of what the efforts referred to were,
but certain special works were carried out with no other object than the prevention of
infantile mortality. These it is proposed to consider separately. Before doing so,
however, attention may be directed to the following figures, with regard to distribution
of infantile mortality, its causes, and so on. More especially should attention be
directed to the accompanying chart (facing p. 12) which shows the marked fall
which has taken place not only in the number of deaths amongst infants but in the
rate of infantile mortality between the years 1897 and 1912.
Causes of Infantile Mortality—Ages at Death.
The following tables show for each registration sub-district, the ages at which
death occurred amongst the infants who died, and the causes to which death was
attributable.