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1922
8
Infantile Mortality.—Seventy-five deaths occurred in children
under one year of age. This number corresponds to an infantile
mortality of 62 per 1,000 births.
On Table 1 will be found the Infantile Mortalities for England.
and Wales and the large Towns, and it will be seen on reference
to that Table that the Infantile Mortality of Acton, is lower than
that of England and Wales and than that of the 105 Great Towns
with a population of over 50,000 inhabitants. It is also the lowest
Infantile Mortality on record for the district.
A reference to the Table giving the causes of death in weeks
and months under one year of age will show how difficult it is
to make much further reduction in the Infantile Mortality. Thirtynine
of the deaths occurred in babies under one month old.
Eighteen of the 75 deaths were due to Premature Birth,
11 to Congenital Malformation, 2 to Injury at Birth and 7 to
Atrophy and Debility, in most cases Congenital Debility.
Milk (Mothers and Children Order), 1919.—The scheme adopted
by the Council, whereby milk is distributed by the Council in
co-operation with the Guardians, was explained in last year's
report.
Six thousand, four hundred and fifty-five packets of dried
milk were distributed through the Relieving Officers, and 516
packets were distributed to expectant mothers and in exceptional
instances where the recipients would not be eligible for Poor Law
Relief.
The number of packets distributed weekly through the
Guardians varied from 199 in the week ending April 15th to 53
in the week ending December 30th.
The number of packets given free varied from 19 in each of
the weeks ending January 14th and 21st to four in each of the
weeks ending April 1st, 8th, 15th and December 30th.
Infectious Diseases.—Table 5 gives the notifications of Infectious
Diseases for the year. There is a considerable reduction in the
number of notifications received, and a decrease in the number
of deaths from Diphtheria, but an increase in the deaths from
Scarlet Fever.
Scarlet Fever.—Three hundred and five notifications were
received and 3 deaths occurred from the disease. These figures
do not represent the true case fatality of the disease. The deaths
occurred in the early part of the year, and were partly a legacy
of the notifications received from the last quarter of 1921. It
will be recollected that incidence of Scarlet Fever increased in