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The Health of Barking
Wastage of Infant Life.
This part of my Report has nothing to do with John and Mary, but I do
want to record that in 1948, of the 30 deaths which occurred in
Barking children under one year of age, 15 occurred within the
first month of life, which means that if we could only do something
about these babies that die at a very young age, then we
should be getting on to one of the problems most likely to reduce
infant mortality as a whole.
INFANT AND
NEO-NATAL
MORTALITY
By the courtesy of the coroner and of the pathologist who undertakes work
for the coroner, I do see most of, if not all, the post-mortem examinations conducted
in Barking. I don't think there is any doubt that a high percentage of these children
who die at a very early age die because they don't get enough air in their lungs.
One has to remember that when a baby is born there is practically no air in the
lungs at all and for all practical purposes you say there is none. In these circumstances
the lung is normally so solid as a piece of leather. Some children pump up
their lungs and some children don't, and if they don't pump up their lungs, it
means that they are much more susceptible to infection than if they did.
Now why don't some children pump up their lungs—I wish I knew the answer !
I cannot help feeling that the answer is just around the corner.
While we are dealing with this morbid subject of the wastage of child life,
it is necessary to continue the gloomy picture by pointing out that during the
year 1948 there were no less than 29 stillbirths, a large number of
which were subjected to post-mortem examination, and again
I am courteously invited to attend and indeed I do so attend. Very many of these
post-mortems led me to believe that the children were living but a short time before
they were born, but any suggestion as to why they died would, I believe, be at this
time speculative.
Let me end this rather grim, but I believe necessary part of my Report, and
let a little sunshine into it. Our infant mortality rate for 1948 was
20.53. which is the lowest we have ever had in Barking. It would
have been even less had it not been for an unknown newly-born
baby which was found dead in Barking and which, strictly speaking, was not a
Barking death.
INFANT
MORTALITY
RATE
On pages 57-58 will be found further statistics relating to infant mortality.
Hospital v. Home Confinements.
Mary was very worried as to whether she ought or ought not to go into hospital
for her forthcoming confinement. John, who, as you know, is a practical sort of man,
was all for Mary going into hospital. He said, and quite rightly, " there they have
all the equipment and the staff that could possibly be wanted if anything unusual
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