View report page

23
The rise in the Infantile Mortality Rate in the
five years period 1916-1920 was due to the influenza
epidemic of 1918.
The reduction in the Rate has occurred mainly in
the age group over one week, whereas the rate of deaths
in the newly-born remains constant, and there has been
no reduction since 1910, when the keeping of detailed
records commenced.
As I reported in 1937, the low level reached in
1935, when the rate was 27, could not be expected to
continue, hut although the rate has risen to 49 per 1,000
for 1938 with 47 for 1937, we still happily naintain a
much lower rate in comparison with the rest of the
country, which stands at 53 for 1938.
39 infant deaths were recorded in Bromley during
1938, and some interesting facts emerge from an
analysis of this figure, as follows: —
Inward transfers (i.e., babies dying outside
the area) 23
Babies who died in Bromley 16
39
Of these 39 deaths, only 6 came under the Municipal
Midwifery Service, and the causes of these 6 deaths
were: prematurity, debility, etc. 3, malformation 1,
suffocation in pram 1, and broncho-pneumonia 1.
nquiries into the causes of the remaining 33 deaths
lisclosed, as far as could be ascertained, no systematic
ante-natal and post-natal medical supervision. 59 per
lent. of the 39 deaths were caused through prematurity,
congenital debility and malformation—causes which
indicate the great need of ante-natal supervision. A
feature of our Municipal Midwifery Service is the provision
of this supervision as a routine in all cases. The
inference to be drawn from these figures is that a saving
in mortality might have been achieved had the facilities
of the Midwifery Service been available to these 33
cases.