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The commonest factor directly or indirectly contributing to the
deaths of children under one year of age was "prematurity," this being
the primary cause in 11 cases under four weeks, (all of which died outside
the District), and the secondary cause in 1 case under and 2 cases
over 4 weeks (only 1 of which died in this District). Investigations of
this type of death require to be made primarily at the house in which
the birth occurred. This is made difficult locally by the high proportion
of these deaths occurring outside the District. A further factor which
increases the difficulty of investigation in these cases is the considerable
time which often elapses before the registration of the death is transferred
into this District, and the local Department becomes aware of
the death, thus in 1938, no less than 31 of the 38 deaths occurred outside
the District, viz., 8 in London Hospitals, 7 at Redhill, 7 in Purley Hospital
and 9 in other Croydon Institutions.
While congenital malformations are the next commonest cause
of death (7 cases in 1938, 3 being over four weeks of age), in the present
stage of our knowledge these deaths are usually not preventable.
Chief hope of prevention lies in the infectious group of disease, e.g.
influenza, broncho-pneumonia, gastric-enteritis, etc., and the importance
of protecting young infants from contact with what are often regarded
as mild infections, such as the common cold, is constantly emphasized.
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