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heavy toll of infant life in the early part of the century.
It is interesting, also, to record that the infant mortality
rate among the 46 illegitimate births assigned to the
Borough was nil, which argues a high standard of care
among these children. Of the 25 infant deaths on which
this rate was based, no fewer than 17 (68 per cent.)
occurred during the first month of life (neo-natal deaths)
and it may be that we are now approaching the irreducible
minimum as far as present day knowledge is concerned.
It may be, however, that further reduction will
be achieved with a fuller knowledge of the causes of
premature births and congenital deformities which are
responsible for the great majority of neo-natal deaths.
Much research is being done in regard to the importance
of maternal infections during the early months of
pregnancy and the incompatibility of the blood of mother
and child (Rh. factor) which are thought to be responsible
for a proportion of deaths during the first month of
life.
There were no deaths from diphtheria or measles,
due, we believe in the case of the former, in a large
measure, to the intensive campaign for immunisation
which has been pursued in the Borough during the past
10 years. During the year, 4,467 children received
booster doses of diphtheria prophylactic, with a view to
keeping the level of immunity as high as possible.
The maternal mortality rate (number of deaths of
mothers resulting from childbirth for every thousand
total births) was also nil and this can be taken as presumptive
evidence that the ante-natal and obstetric
services in the area worked well during the year.
The death rate from tuberculosis was 0.42 per
thousand of the population as against a rate of 0.51 per
thousand for England and Wales. Although the rate
for this disease has tended to be stationary during recent
years, there are indications that, unless arrangements
can be made to admit open cases to hospital and to
relieve overcrowding among tuberculous families, the
rate will rise in the near future. There can be no doubt
that many children are being infected by their continued
close proximity to adults suffering from this disease, and
I am glad to say that the Housing Committee are alive
to this danger and have, during the year, given high
rehousing priority to such families, although much still
remains to be done.
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