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196
Deaths Under One Month.
An analysis of Table LXXXVII shows that 18.9 of the
infant deaths occurred before the baby was 24 hours old; 34.4%
during the first week of life; and 56.1% before the end of the first
month. In 1932 the corresponding figures were 21%, 38%, and
51%. These figures relate to 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 57% of deaths
under 1 month of life. In the same group can be placed debility
which was the cause of 14%. Injury at birth is rather different,
inasmuch as it is, by skilled ante-natal and natal attention, avoidable
; injury caused 6.0% of the deaths. Deaths under one month
due to congenital deformities constituted 6.0% of the whole during
this age period. It is interesting to see that conditions probably
brought on by faulty feeding played practically no part in this
mortality. This group of deaths contributed 12.1 per 1,000
births towards the total infantile mortality rate.
Deaths Under Three Months.
One hundred and one babies died during the first three
months of life, a percentage of the total infant deaths of 68%, and
an infant mortality rate of 32 per 1,000 births. As the total
infantile mortality rate was 47, 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 the chief of these to be : Diarrhoea, 5 deaths and Pneumonia,
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.
Deaths between the 4th month and the end of the first year
of life were caused chiefly bv Diarrhoea (25.5%) and Pneumonia
(34.0%).
The Pneumonia deaths occurred in the following months:—
January 5, February 3, March 4, April 1, June 1, July 1, September
1, October 1, November 2, December 6.