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at the seventh month was due to shock in one case, to albuminuria
in another; to ante-partum haemorrhage in two cases; to
hydramnios and to toxæmia of pregnancy in one each, but no
ascribable cause in the other four. Difficult or prolonged labour
resulting in intracranial haemorrhage accounted for the death of
three. One infant died of asphyxia due to a prolapse of the cord
during delivery, and the other in this category from white asphyxia
or shock following a precipitate labour. One infant was undeveloped,
suffering from anencephaly, and one infant of twins
died of congenital debility.
Fourteen (10 male and four female) infants survived 24 but
failed to survive 48 hours. Premature birth appeared on the
death certificates of 10, coupled with congenital heart in one. Two
of these deaths were of twins; in two premature onset of labour
was due to placenta praevia. One premature onset at the sevenand-a-halfth
month was the third such confinement. In another
case premature birth was the eighth pregnancy occurring in a
woman of 44. In the case of the other three, the cause of onset
of labour was not determinable, though one was an illegitimate
pregnancy. Of the remaining four deaths in this category, two
were ascribed to congenital heart, another to asphyxia due to the
winding of the cord round the infant's neck in delivery, and the
other to asphyxia in a post-mature infant.
Seventeen (12 male and five female) infants survived the first
two days but failed to survive the week. Prematurity accounted
for the death of seven of these, albuminuria or toxaemia being the
cause of the premature onset of labour of two. Congenital malformations
accounted for four deaths (one pyloric stenosis, one
spina bifida and two congenital heart). Marasmus was the cause
of one death, gastro-intestinal haemorrhage another, and icterus
gravis a third. Birth injury due to difficult labour and causing
cerebral haemorrhage accounted for the death of three.
Of the seven who died in their second week (four male and
three female) two were infants whose births were premature by
12 and six weeks respectively; one suffered from a congenital
defect of the large bowel and the other from a congenital disease.
The deaths of the remaining three were due to respiratory
infections.
Of the six dying in the third and fourth weeks of life, five
were males. Apart from one case of premature birth who had
survived to this time and one of birth injury, the cause of death
was one of the infections, namely bronchitis, pneumonia following
whooping cough, contracted from others in the house, erysipelas
of the face and gastro-enteritis.
Of the 12 infants who died between one and three months of
age, nine were males and three females. Congenital malformations
accounted for three of these, and three others had had little hold