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When we turn to infant mortality i.e. the number of child
ren dying before they have reached their first birthday the vast
advances made within the past fifty years are even more apparent
Ten deaths of infants under the age of one year occurred during
1956- giving an infantile mortality rate of 17 3 per thousand live
births the lowest rate yet recorded in Wood Green,This compares
with a total of 14 deaths and an infant mortality rate of 23.6 in
1955 In 1906 127 children died during the first year of life
no less than 43 of these deaths being attributed to diarrhoea
The infant mortality rate for that year was 103 It is satisfactory
to note that no deaths from diarrhoea occurred in infants
during 1956 Thirty-two children under the age of one year died
during 1931 the infant mortality rate being 44 5 Two of these
latter deaths were due to diarrhoea Although as I have just
pointed out, mere statistics must of necessity be bald and capable
of varying interpretation it must be clear that something has
been happening which year by year has saved the lives of many
infants This "something" includes more stringent care of mothers
and children increased clinic facilities, tremendous advances
in midwifery and in ante-natal care, together with the introduction
of antibiotics.lt is not so many years ago that an infant mortality
rate of 17 3 would have been considered more or less unthink
able Such a figure is now accepted not I hasten to add as a
total which cannot be improved, but as a figure which we must
strive by every means to better. The care of mothers and children
is, of course, the duty of the County Council but I know that the
Borough Council would wish to have this information. My joint post
as Medical Officer of Health for Wood Green and Area Medical
Officer fortunately allows me to co ordinate and correlate this
work to the advantage I humbly venture to suggest of the community
An interesting side light on another change which has taken
place concerns the number of inquests and post mortem examinations
which take place year by year In 1956 19 inquests and a further
137 post-mortems were carried out 50 of these latter in the Prince
of Wales Hospital Mortuary by arrangement with the Wood Green
Borough Council In 1906 46 post-mortem examinations were carried
out and 36 inquests held In 1931 the number of post-mortem ex
aminations carried out and inquests held was 26 and 10 respectively.
These figures would appear to show that post mortem examinations
are now much more common than was previously the case Prom this
one might reasonably assume that the desire to investigate the
true causes of death in as many cases as possible has been accentuated
This, of course, in no sense implies a desire to interfere
with the private feelings of relatives but covers a genuine wish
to increase our existing knowledge for the benefit of humanity,
This is particularly apparent in the case of deaths of Infants,
where I have never been entirely satisfied that we are fully aware
of the true causes which result in the tragic death of an infant
under the age of one year I have taken steps during the year to
bring this matter to the notice of general practitioners, midwives
and hospitals in the hope that all concerned, including parents,
will co-operate in what is never a very happy procedure, but still
a procedure which should be of infinite and obvious value to future
generations,
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