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21. Table IVb gives full details as to the ages at death, and
causes of death, of the 372 infants dying in 1907 under one year.
It shows that over one-third of those who died were under one
month old, and nearly one-fourth under one week old. Fifty-four
deaths were from premature birth, compared with 65 and 75 in
the two preceding years, and of the remainder, 20 (24 in 1906)
were attributed to Atrophy, Debility, and Marasmus, indefinite
terms applied to deaths from immaturity, congenital debility, and
other causes.
The death-rate from premature birth in Woolwich Borough was
0'48 compared with 0.71 in 1906. In London it was
There were 21 deaths of illegitimate infants. The death-rate
of illegitimate infants under one year was 304 per 1000 births,
and that of legitimate infants 108.
22. Compared with 1906, the past year had, among infants,
fewer deaths from premature birth, diarrhœal diseases, and convulsions,
and more from measles, whooping-cough, bronchitis,
pneumonia, and overlying. There was a gain of 52 lives by
diminution of diarrhceal diseases and a loss of 46 lives by increase
of measles, whooping-cough, bronchitis, and pneumonia.
There is no doubt that a large proportion, if not the whole, of
the increase of deaths from bronchitis and pneumonia is really
attributable to measles and whooping-cough. But for the prevalence
of these diseases the infant death-rate of the Borough would
have been far lower than it has ever been.
23. The local Registrars supplied weekly birth-returns as
before, for which £30 8s. l0d. was paid. 1307 births were notified
by midwives through the London County Council. Miss FitzGerald
visited nearly all those occurring in Woolwich Parish, and a large
number in Plumstead and Eltham, and left and explained a card
of instructions on infant feeding. The card of instructions is sent