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155
Deaths Under One Month.
An analysis of Table XVII. shows that 17.9% of the
infant deaths occurred before the baby was 24 hours old; 35.1%
during the first week of life; and 46.9% before the end of the
first month. In 1933 the corresponding figures were 18.9%, 34.4%,
and 56.1%. These figures relate to infant deaths due to causes
probably operating before birth. The chief individual cause was
premature birth, which was the assigned cause in 42.6% of deaths
under 1 month of life. In the same group can be placed debility
which was the cause of 20.5%. Injury at birth is rather different,
inasmuch as it is, by skilled ante-natal and natal attention, avoidable;
injury caused 5.8% of the deaths. Deaths under one month
due to congenital deformities constituted 19.1% 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 21.3 per
1,000 births towards the total infantile mortality rate.
Deaths Under Three Months.
Ninety-nine babies died during the first three months of
life, a percentage of the total infant deaths of 68%, and an infant
mortality rate of 31 per 1,000 births. As the total infantile mortality
rate was 46, 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: Pneumonia, 8 deaths; Debility, 5 deaths;
Diarrhoea, Congenital Deformity and Premature Birth, 4 each.
The effects of improper feeding, and exposure to infection, are
commencing to make themselves felt.
Deaths between the 4th month and the end of the first year
of life were caused chiefly by Diarrhoea (13.0%) and Pneumonia
(41.3%).
The Pneumonia deaths occurred in the following months:—
January 4, February 3, March 3, April 2, May 4, June 0, July 4,
August 1, September 2, October 2, November 0, and December 2;
total, 27.
Taking the figures in the table as a whole, the outstanding
features are:–
(1) The predominance of premature birth, and conditions
Classified as debility and marasmus. Between them they