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It will be observed from the foregoing table that the principal increase in the death rate of
infants has been due to diarrhoea and enteritis, 57 children having died from these causes in 1935.
The other main cause of the deaths of infants was premature birth, 53 children having died from this
cause in 1935. It is worthy of note that of the 57 cases of diarrhoea and enteritis which occurred
throughout the year, 23 occurred in the first quarter, 13 in the second quarter, 16 in the third quarter
and 5 in the last quarter. This arrangement as to the occurrence of diarrhoea and enteritis cases
differs materially from the deaths from this condition usually called "summer diarrhœa" occurring
in the early years of the present century, mainly in the third quarter of the year.
This setback in the infantile mortality rate is unfortunate as it would appear that few children
under the age of one should lose their lives. I say this because of the fact that the infantile mortality
rate amongst clinic attendants was only 30 per 1,000 births, whereas amongst non-clinic attendants
it was 121 per 1,000 births. These figures are arrived at by knowing that out of the 2,848 children
born alive in Willesden in 1935, 1,723 attended the Health Centres of whom 52 died, giving an infantile
mortality rate amongst clinic attendants of 30 per 1,000 births. 1,125 children born in Willesden in
1935 did not attend the clinics and of this number 136 died before reaching the age of one, thus giving
an infantile mortality rate amongst non-clinic attendants of 121 per 1,000 births.
CANCER.
In Willesden in 1935 there were 266 deaths from Cancer, as compared with 281, 260, 250, 250,
214, 239, in each of the previous six years.
Two Cancer Clinics are held ; one at Health Centre 1 on the first and third Thursdays of the
month from 7 to 8 p.m., and the other at Health Centre 2, on the second and fourth Thursdays of the
month at the same hour. No treatment is attempted, the object being to get early contact, to secure
diagnosis and treatment if necessary, or to give reassurance as the case may be. Treatment or further
diagnosis is obtained at certain of the larger London Hospitals with which the Council has made
satisfactory working arrangements.
If a patient is under a private doctor who can be located, the latter is communicated with,
and the result of any examination or advice as to treatment is made known to him as soon as possible.
Propaganda, in the form of posters, leaflets, advertisements, articles in the press and talks
have been continued, but there is still a great disproportion in the number of deaths as recorded above
and the number of persons attending the clinics. There has, however, been a considerable increase
in the number who attended as compared with last year.
During 1935,70 patients attended these Clinics, of whom 58 were new cases (16 men and 42
women) and 12 had attended during 1934 and were still under observation at the end of that year.
The total attendances made in 1935 were 105. Of the 58 new cases 3 were found to live out of the
district and were dismissed after being suitably directed as to the means of securing proper investigation
and treatment.
The remaining 55 cases after examination were disposed of as follows:—
23 were referred to a hospital for further investigation;
7 were referred back to their own doctors;
14 were kept under observation and asked to re-attend (8 of these were finally discharged
before the end of the year);
3 were referred to special clinics (2 were reassured or treated and discharged by the
end of the year and 1 left the district);
8 were reassured and discharged on their first visit.