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89
evidently caught from some other source than the milk, as
shown by the fact that these were the only two cases of
such disease amongst the 27 infants and children who were
being, and had been for 13 to 16 weeks, fed upon the depot
milk at the time). This gives a mortality rate of 74 per
1,000. For the purposes of this Report, I have included all
infants and children who were fed upon the depot milk for
consecutive periods extending over four weeks—a total of
69, of whom four died, giving a mortality rate of 58 per
1,000. Even if all the infants and children were included,
irrespective of the varying periods during which they had
been fed upon the depot milk, the mortality rate amongst
depot-fed children is only 90 per 1,000, and is much lower
than those for the Borough of Lambeth in general, and for
Marsh Ward (where the Milk Depot is situated) and part of
Bishop's Ward in particular, the large decrease in favour of
the depot-fed infants and children being conspicuous even
after allowing for the comparatively small numbers of infants
and children dealt with, and bearing in mind the different
age-periods of the infants and children fed.
Thus—
Mortality Rates.
Depot-fed Infants 58-90 per 1,000
Whole Borough of Lambeth 134 per 1,000
Marsh Ward 187 per 1,000
Bishop's Ward (part) 272 per 1,000
The rates for the whole Borough and for the Marsh and
Bishop's Wards are quinquennial averages, and, in comparing
them with the rate for the depot-fed infants and children,
allowance must be made for the fact that in the case of
the Borough and Marsh and Bishop's Wards, the rates are
worked out for the whole of the infantile population (healthy
or otherwise), whereas the rate for the depot-fed infants is
based upon 100 infants, 78 of whom were unhealthy or
weakly, if not suffering from some grave disease, at the
time of being put upon the milk.
In this way the Milk Depot has been the means of saving
a large number of infant lives, which may be estimated at
the proportion of not less than 97 to 182 per 1,000, not to
mention the large amount of infantile illness that must have
been at the same time prevented, taking the highest depot
rate and comparing it with the rates for the Marsh and