View report page

The infant mortality i.e., deaths under 1 year, is 322, or 9.8 per
cent. of the total number of births, against 10 65 per cent. last year.
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
Per 1,000 births, the deaths of infants under 1 year of age in
England and Wales was 132, in Rural England and Wales 118, in 76
great towns 144, and in 103 smaller towns 135.
In our District, for every 1,000 births the deaths of infants under
1 year of age is 99.
NOTES ON MILK AND ITS DANGERS.
The Committee appointed on November 12th, 1902, to consider
the best means to decrease the excessive infantile mortality in those
parts of Essex bordering on the metropolis met on December 11th,
1902, and January 22nd, 1903, and on February 27th visited the milk
sterilizing depot of the Battersea Town Council and saw the whole
process of preparing the milk for infantile consumption and the way
in which it is distributed, together with the general management of the
depot. After this visit the Committee again met, and were quite
agreed that this county ought not to be any longer without similar
provision. A doubt arose as to whether District Councils had any
power to spend money in providing such depots or in distributing
sterilized milk. County Boroughs were known to have done it, and
after some discussion the Committee came to the conclusion that the
County Borough of West Ham might with advantage establish such a
depot but that other District Councils would do better to adopt one of
the following alternatives:—