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These figures are typical of the causes of death in each of the war
years, the most outstanding cause being prematurity, followed by congenital
deformities and debility, broncho-pneumonia and other infections.
Altogether during the seven years 40 have died from bronchitis and
pneumonia and 23 from other preventable infections. The necessity
for taking every precaution, by cleanliness and particularly by avoiding
infection of the young by the common cold, is again emphasised. (In
England and Wales during this period more than one child in 100
died from respiratory infections when less than a year old, and more
than one in 200 from diarrhoea or enteritis.)
The neo-natal mortality rate (i.e., deaths in the first month per
1,000 live births) was 28 in 1945, this being the average for the war
years and only slightly in excess of the pre-war rate. It is, however,
only the same as the corresponding national rates were in 1938 and 1939,
when records were created which have been reduced since 1941, being
24.4 in 1944.
18