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 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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73
The corresponding total figure for England and Wales for the
year was 24.9.
Of the 27 deaths 23 occurred in the first month of life of which 19 were in the first week, the age group distribution being as under:
| Hours | Day | Week | Week | Mth. | Mth. | Mth. | Mth. | Mth. | Mth. | Mth. | Mth. | Mth. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0—24 | l—1 | 1—1 | 1—3 | 3—6 | 6—9 | 9—12 | ||||||
| 12 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
Two deaths occurred at home and the remaining twenty-five
in hospital. Of the total of 27 only six can be classified as avoidable.
Prematurity was the sole, or the chief contributory cause with
atelectasis in 16 cases whose average weight at birth was less than
four pounds and all of these deaths were regarded as unavoidable.
Respiratory infections which might have been prevented were
the cause of four deaths and congenital abnormalities or injury
during birth contributed significantly to six deaths, only one of
which could be considered preventable. The remaining death was
due to an avoidable home accident.
The great majority of infant deaths were again due to premature
birth, but the infant mortality rate in the Borough continues
to fall slowly and compares very favourably with that for England
and Wales as a whole.