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172
Deaths Under One Month.
An analysis of Table LXXXIII shows that -21.7% of the infant
deaths occurred before the baby was 24 hours old ; 37.9% during the
first week of life; and 50.9% before the end of the first month.
In 1931 the corresponding figures were 14%, 27%, and 45%. These
figures relate fo infant deaths due to causes probably operating
before birth and do not vary greatly as between different localities
in England. The chief individual cause was premature birth, which
was the assigned cause in 51% of deaths under 1 month of life. In
the same group can be placed debility which was the cause in 11%.
This only amounted to 11% in 1932 with the same number of deaths
as pneumonia and congenital malformtaion (9). Injury at birth is
rather different inasmuch as it is, by skilled ante-natal and natal
attention, avoidable ; injury caused 6.1% of the deaths. Deaths under
one month due to congenital deformities constituted 11.0% of the
whole during this age period. It is interesting to see that conditions
probably brought on by faulty feeding played no part in this
mortality. This group of deaths contributed 11.8 per 1,000 births
towards the total infantile mortality rate—a rate much below
1931 in spite of the hotter summer in 1932. The influence of
Infant Welfare work is seen in this favourable reduction.
Deaths Under Three Months.
One hundred and seven babies died during the first three
months of life, a percentage of the total infant deaths of 63%,
and an infant mortality rate of 32 per 1,000 births. As the total infantile
mortality rate was 49, it is seen that two-thirds of that
rate was due to deaths in infants under 3 months of age. A perusal
of the causes of death between the end of the period dealt with in
the preceding section, and the end of the third month shows these
were Diarrhoea, 9 deaths; Pneumonia, 6 deaths; Congenital
causes, 6 deaths ; Premature Birth, 6 deaths, and Debility, 5 deaths.
The effects of improper feeding, and exposure to infection, are
commencing to make themselves felt, and Pneumonia is the outstanding
cause of death. The Pneumonia deaths occurred in the
following months: January 8, February 1, March 3, April 2, May 2,
June 1, July 2, August 1, September 1, October 1, November 2,
December 7.
Deaths between the 4th month and the end of the first year of
1'fe were caused chiefly bv Diarrhoea (24.1%) and Pneumonia
(31.5%).