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13
Causes of and ages at Death.—General information with regard to the deaths
which occurred in the Borough during the year, mainly with regard to causes and the
ages at which death takes place, is given in Table III. of the Local Government
Board series at page 92.
This same table gives the number of deaths from various specified causes which
occurred in institutions, in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. In each of the groups all
deaths, whether of residents or non-residents, are included, which accounts for the fact
that the total comes up to nearly 1,000, viz., 947.
Fuller information than is possible in the table is given in the following pages,
in which also the figures relating both to causes of death and the ages at which these
causes were operative are analysed.
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
The infantile mortality rate of any district is the number of deaths of infants
under one year of age per 1,000 of the births which occurred in the same year. The
number of babies under one year who died in St. Marylebone in 1914, was 210, and the
number of births in that year 2,128. The infantile mortality rate is therefore 98.6.
This is nearly 8 per 1,000 above the figure (90.8) for 1913, which was the lowest on
record. It is interesting to note, however, that though there has been a rise, the rate
which first fell definitely below 100 in 1912 is still maintained in that position.
The variations which have taken place in the infantile mortality rate and the
number of deaths amongst infants under 1 year of age in each of the years from
1897 are shown in the accompanying chart. It will be noted that the fall in both
was interrupted in 1914, the number of deaths rising once more to above 200, a
point below which it fell for the first time in 1913.
When in that year an attempt was made to account for the fall, the fact that
the splendid efforts made by the official and voluntary workers were only to a slight
extent assisted by the climatic conditions was noted. In 1914 climate was even less
on the side of the workers. Their efforts made to reduce the number of deaths
traceable to respiratory diseases (pneumonia, bronchitis), and intestinal disorders
(diarrhoea and enteritis) particularly were counteracted by the occurrence of weather
favourable to these conditions.
That there is a tendency for the former causes to operate when cold and wet
are prevalent, and for the latter when the weather is warm and dry has already
been explained more than once. In 1914 pneumonia amongst infants was more
common than in 1913, and diarrhoea and enteritis caused 9 more deaths than in
the preceding year. As the difference between the total number of deaths in the
two years was only 15, and respiratory and intestinal diseases account for 11 of the