View report page

It is obvious from Tables 5 and 6, the main causes of death in
infants were pneumonia, premature birth and congenital malformations.
Speaking generally, premature birth is due to poor health in the mother,
and the poor health may be the result of infection, lack of adequate and
proper food or undue physical strain. Pneumonia is an infection and
is acquired from the mother or an elder child, but the baby's resistance
to it may be lowered by poor nutrition or irritation of the lung by smoke
polluted atmosphere. It is likely that if there is a drop in infant
deaths, the drop will be mainly in those due to pneumonia and premature
birth. Congenital malformations affect the babies of rich and poor
alike and will, I am afraid, take their toll for some time.
Over the two years 1957 and 1958, of the 98 illegitimate children
born only 2 died, giving an illegitimate infantile mortality rate for
the two years of 20.4 against the ordinary infantile mortality rate for
England and Wales during the two years of 22.75. To say that the
general infantile mortality rate could be lowered by improved ante-natal
care, therefore, is not to imply that the present standard of ante-natal
care is low. To lower the infantile mortality rate it would be
essary to improve on an already high standard of ante-natal care, but I
am confident that in time this can be done.
OTHER DEATHS
ACCIDENTS
There were 33 deaths from accidents in Edmonton in 1958, compared
with 32 in 1957. There was a substantial drop in motor vehicle
accidents from 12 to 8, and the increase was therefore due to other
causes. 14 deaths were definitely due to home accidents and there were
9 other deaths due to falls, directly or indirectly, which might well have
been due to home accidents. Practically all the home accidents are in
elderly people and almost all are due to falls, poisoning or burning.
Home is a dangerous place for the elderly in Edmonton. The list that
follows gives some of the details:-
- 8 -