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
Harrow 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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might. But 1951 did not bring anything of that sort. For the country
as a whole, the infant mortality rate was 29.6, a figure not so very different
from that of 29.8 for 1950 when the local rate was 13.6. It may be that
in a few years time the low rate of 1950 and the relatively high rate
of 1951 can be seen to average out at an annual rate of about 20. The
vital statistics for small populations are subject to disturbances of this
sort from year to year, when the maternal mortality rate can be markedly
affected by the occurrence of one death. It may be that these variations
in the numbers of infant deaths and in the infant mortality rates will
prove to be due to effects of this nature. Certainly there is nothing known
of any changes in local conditions or of those occurring in the country
as a whole which can account for this marked difference in the numbers
of infant deaths in two consecutive vears.
The following table is an analysis of the causes of deaths of infants at different ages for the years 1950 and 1951 :—
| Number | Birth Injury | Prematurity | Congenital Causes | Lung Infection | Other Conditions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 day | 1950 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 1951 | 22 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 1 | — | |
| 1-7 days | 1950 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 2 | — |
| 1951 | 21 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1-4 weeks | 1950 | 1 | — | _ | 1 | — | — |
| 1951 | 5 | 1 | 1 | _ | 1 | 2 | |
| 1-3 months | 1950 | 6 | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 1951 | 2 | — | _ | 1 | 1 | — | |
| 3-12 months | 1950 | 6 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 |
| 1951 | 14 | — | — | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Included in the column headed prematurity are those who died
from immaturity or from atelectasis. Congenital causes include such
conditions as hæmolytic diseases. The group of other conditions includes
deaths from infections and from accidents.
It will be seen that the large increase in the 1951 figures over those
of 1950 was in the deaths of those under 24 hours old and in those who
had survived three months.
Of the increase in the numbers of those who failed to survive 24
hours, the big increase was in the number of those where death was due
to atelectasis. Most of these deaths in 1951 occurred among infants who
had been born in hospital, where as far as is known, no change in practice
had been made. These figures, then, do not suggest that these deaths
could have been prevented by any improvement in the local arrangements
for the care of such infants born at home.
Of the increase in the numbers of those who died between 3 and 12
months of age, many were due to deaths from congenital causes. The
rest were under the heading of other conditions ; of these, two were
whooping cough and two were accidents.
Stillbirths.
Some infants die very soon after they are born. The numbers of
these increase the infant mortality rate and the general death rate.