London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Beckenham 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Beckenham]
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INFANTILE MORTALITY, 1948.
The number of deaths of infants under the age of twelve months
was 15 as compared with 37 in 1947. The Infantile Mortality Rate for
the year was 13.979 per 1,000 live births.
The following table shows the causes of death in 13 cases for which full records exist.
| Age in Weeks | Total under 1 mth | Age in Months | Total under 1 yr. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 3-4 | 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 | 10-12 | |||
| 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Prematurity | 4 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Atelectasis | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Erythroblastosis Foetalis | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Cerebral Haemorr-hage | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| C. Infections | ||||||||||
| Bronchitis | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Broncho-pneumonia | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Gastro-enteritis | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | |
| 8 | - | - | - | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | |
| Deaths Males 10. Females 3 | ||||||||||
The infantile mortality rate of 13.97 per 1,000 live births is the lowest
rate ever recorded in Beckenham. Particulars have been obtained of
thirteen of the fifteen deaths, and study of the table suggests that quite a
large proportion of the deaths were from conditions which are at any rate
theoretically preventable. Prematurity of birth still accounts for a large
number of infant deaths. Although such a low mortality rate is encouraging,
it is clear that there is still much that can be done. The death
rate among illegitimate infants was very high, 136.36 per 1,000 live births
compared with 11.41 per 1,000 among legitimate infants. The death
rate among illegitimate infants is usually higher than that among
legitimate ones, but the disparity in the rates is seldom anything like
as great as this.
NATURAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS.
No change has taken place from the details printed in previous
reports.
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