London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Shoreditch 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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The following table gives the death rate for premature infants during the last
ten years:—
Table No. 75
| Year | Shoreditch | England and Wales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total births | Deaths from prematurity | Death rate (per 1,000 births) | Total births | Deaths from prematurity | Death rate (per 1,000 births) | |
| 1929 | 2,005 | 32 | 15.96 | 643,673 | 11,992 | 18.63 |
| 1930 | 1,988 | 26 | 13.08 | 648,811 | 11,360 | 17.51 |
| 1931 | 1,684 | 14 | 8.43 | 632,081 | 11,565 | 18.30 |
| 1932 | 1,674 | 27 | 16.13 | 613,972 | 11,174 | 18.20 |
| 1933 | 1,494 | 20 | 13.39 | 580,413 | 10,885 | 18.75 |
| 1934 | 1,456 | 26 | 17.17 | 597,642 | 10,518 | 17.60 |
| 1935 | 1,290 | 16 | 12.40 | 599,167 | 10,315 | 17.21 |
| 1936 | 1,274 | 13 | 10.20 | 605,609 | 10,106 | 16.69 |
| 1937 | 1,222 | 14 | 11.46 | 610,850 | 10,374 | 16.98 |
| 1938 | 1,181 | 11 | 9.31 | 621,603 | 9,715 | 15.63 |
The actual age incidence of the Shoreditch infants who died from prematurity
is shown in the following table:—
Table No. 76
| Year | Births in year | Under 1 week | Under 1 month | 1 and under 3 months | 3 and under 6 months | 6 and under 9 months | Between 9 months and 1 year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | 2,005 | 20 | 31 | 1 | _ | _ | _ |
| 1930 | 1,988 | 20 | 24 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 1931 | 1,684 | 11 | 12 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 1932 | 1,674 | 18 | 24 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| 1933 | 1,494 | 14 | 18 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 1934 | 1,456 | 20 | 23 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 1935 | 1,290 | 12 | 15 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 1936 | 1,274 | 11 | 11 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 1937 | 1,222 | 11 | 13 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 1938 | 1,181 | 10 | 10 | 1 | — | — | — |
The first of these tables shows that there has been no substantial change in the
death rate for these premature infants either in Shoreditch or in England and Wales
as a whole. The rates for Shoreditch—being calculated from a smaller number of
deaths—show more fluctuation than the rates for the country as a whole, but it is
obvious that in this short period there has been no substantial decrease in the rate.
The second table shows that of the 345 infants who died of prematurity during the