View report page

86
v.—MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE
As has been previously pointed out, in a moderately small area like Shoreditch,
the annual mortality rates for both mothers and children are apt to show fairly wide
variations. This is especially the fact with regard to the maternal mortality rate,
where even one death makes a considerable difference in the rate for the borough. An
indication of this wide variability is obtained by considering the rates over the last
four years. For example, in 1934 there was one maternal death giving a maternal
mortality rate of 0.69 per thousand live births, in 1935 there were four deaths, giving
a rate of 3.10, in 1936 there were no deaths, giving a rate of 0.0, and last year there
were four deaths, giving a rate of 3.27.
Similarly with the infant mortality rate. In 1934 there were 122 deaths of
infants under one year of age, giving a rate of 84 per thousand live births, in 1935
there were 67 deaths, giving a rate of 52, in 1936 the deaths increased to 95, giving a
rate of 75, and last year the deaths fell to 66, making a rate of 54 per thousand live
births. It is obvious, therefore, that it is as a rule unsafe to generalise from yearly
figures, but nevertheless I think it can be said that on the whole the position in
Shoreditch is satisfactory.
STATISTICS
INFANTILE MORTALITY
The number of children under one year of age who died in 1937 was 66, of whom
36 were males and 30 females, as compared with 95 (males 55, females 40) for 1936.
The infant mortality rate was 54 as compared with 75 for the previous year, and
an average of 73 for the previous five years. The rate for England and Wales was
58, or 7 per cent., and for London 60, or 11 per cent. higher than the rate for
Shoreditch.
CAUSES OF DEATH
The causes of death of the 66 infants who died in 1937 are set out in table No. 20
facing page 34. The main causes of death were diarrhoea and enteritis (11 deaths);
pneumonia (17 deaths); prematurity (14 deaths); and whooping cough (6 deaths).
The corresponding figures for the year 1936 for the first three of these causes was
25, 22 and 13, respectively.