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
Walthamstow 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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65
EVALUATION OF CHILD HEALTH SERVICES
In his report as Chief Medical Officer to the Ministry of
Health for the year 1947, Sir Wilson Jameson referred to a survey
undertaken in Barnsley in 1945 and based on the investigation and
assessment of individual infant deaths, to determine how often
a deficiency in certain services or other specified factors had contributed
to an infant death.
This method was applied to infant deaths occurring in
Walthamstow during 1948 and 1949, and arrangements were put
in hand in September, 1949, to try and assess the factors resulting
in infant deaths. 1950 will therefore be the first year affording
the fuller information.
Dr. Melville Watkins has undertaken the analysis for 1948/49
and makes the following observations:—
"It is suggested that infant deaths under one year should
be classified as inevitable, unavoidable, preventable and unclassified.
" The following is the classification of infant deaths for the past two years:—
| 1948 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inevitable | Unavoidable | Preventable | Not Classifiable | Total | |
| No | 6 | 16 | 19 | 2 | 43 |
| Percentage | 14 | 37 | 44 | 5 | 100 |
| "Of the apparently 'preventable' deaths, 7 were due to infectious disease, 6 to respiratory disease, and 3 to enteritis. " Twenty-four deaths took place in the first month of life, and 19 in the remainder of the first year. | |||||
| 1949 | |||||
| Inevitable | Unavoidable | Preventable | Not Classifiable | Total | |
| No. | 10 | 25 | 19 | — | 54 |
| Percentage | 18.5 | 46.3 | 35.2 | — | 100 |
Infant Mortality by Ages
Neo-natal 31 3 months—6 months 6
4 weeks—3 months 11 6 months—12 months 6
"It will be seen that more than half the deaths occur during
the first month of life and the greatest risk to infant life occurs
within the first three months.