London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Croydon 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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9
For the past 5 years the number of infant deaths has been
1947—194, 1948—120, 1949—116, 1950—9G, and 1951—68.
Among the G8 deaths, 31 occurred in boy babies and 37 in
girls. Of the births, 1,866 were males and 1,753 females. The
infantile mortality rate for the two sexes was, therefore, Boys—
17, Girls—21.
Sixty deaths of infants occurred in Institutions, including
Registered Nursing Homes.
The following table gives the cause of death during the first
month of life: —
(1) Complications of Labour—
Trauma at Birth 5
5
(2) Foetal States—
Congenital Heart Malformation 2
Other Congenital Deformities 2
Atelectasis, etc. 4
Hemorrhagic Disease of Newborn 5
13
(3) Prematurity 25
25
(4) Post-Natal Causes 4
4
47
The following table gives the cause of death during the first month of life:-
| Percentage Deaths under 1 year per Total Infantile Deaths. | Deaths under 1 year per 1,000 Births | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1951 | 1950 | 1951 | |
| Premature Births | 45.8 | 38.2 | 11.9 | 7.19 |
| Respiratory Diseases | 18.8 | 14.7 | 4.9 | 2.76 |
| Infectious Diseases | 1.1 | 1.5† | 0.3 | 0.28 |
| Atelectasis, Debility and Marasmus | 6.3 | 7.4 | 1.6 | 1.38 |
| Diseases of Digestion | 10.4 | 2.9* | 2.7 | 0.55 |
| Injury at Birth and Congenital | 9.4 | 25.0 | 2.4 | 4.70 |
This was a death due to Whooping Cough
*These deaths were due to Diarrhoea 1 and Gastritis 1.