View report page

Infant Mortality.— There were 41 (2 illegitimate) deaths of
infants under 1 year of age, which give an infantile death-rate of
32.90 per 1,000 births, as compared with 36 deaths and a rate of
29.68 in the preceding year.
The corresponding rates for England and Wales and London
were 41 and 37 respectively.

Of the 41 infant deaths during 1947, 20 or 48.8 per cent.
occurred within the first week of life, while the total under 1 month
numbered 21 or 51.2 per cent. Eight of these deaths were due to
prematurity, 8 to pneumonia, 3 to gastro-enteritis and 4 to
congenital abnormalities.
It is pleasing to record that, for the second year in succession, a
low infantile mortality rate has been recorded in the Borough. This
is a source of satisfaction, but must not allow us to shut our eyes to
the fact that there is still room for improvement. As I said in my
Annual Report for last year, every infant death represents a tragedy.
There will always be unavoidable tragedies during the first twelve
months of life, as there are during later years. But even if we accept
this fact, there are still the avoidable deaths, for which a remedy can
and should be found. We have by no means reached the irreducible
minimum. Until we can categorically state that we have done so
our efforts must be continued with unabated vigour.
So far as Southgate is concerned, the addition of one extra
ante-natal session during the year had added to our available facilities.
The addition of this one session allows the Health Visitors and
Medical Officer concerned to devote more time to individual cases,
and to try by all possible means to ensure that untoward circumstances
which might jeopardise the life and well-being of the expected
infant are removed. All women attending our ante-natal clinic
13