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(4)
period reaching the low figure of 4 in 1942 as compared
with 18 in 1938. No other disease calls for special
comment.
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
In 1942, there were 48 deaths of children under the
age of one year as compared with 15 in 1941, the
corresponding infantile mortality rates being 53.9 and 21.8.
The rate for 1941 was not only by far the lowest ever
recorded in Finchley but was also easily the lowest in all
the "large towns" in England and Wales for that year. It
was not expected that such a low rate would be maintained
for any length of time nor was it anticipated that the
pendulum would 3wing so rapidly and so far in the other
direction, although such violent oscillations are
frequently encountered in statistics relating to
comparatively small numbers.
Nine of the 48 deaths wore of children from Nazareth
House, 6 due to Whooping Cough, 2 to Broncho-pneumonia and
1 to Enteritis. If these deaths are excluded, the
infantile mortality rate for Finchley children is 44.8.
The rate for England and Wales was 49.
As all these nine children were illegitimate and as
only one other illegitimate child died, the mortality rate
for illegitimate children is quite misleading.
Of the 39 Finchley children who died in 1942, 22 died
before they wore 4 weeks old. Of these no loss than 20
died in a hospital or maternity homo where the mother was
confined, whereas only 2 died whose mothers were confined
at home. These figures are very remarkable since as many
as 40% of the total births took place at home.