London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Barnes 1939

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barnes]

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Table V.—Infant Mortality during the Year 1939.Causes of death, at various ages, of infants under one year.

Cause of DeathUnder 1 Week.1-2 Weeks.2-3 Weeks3-4 Weeks.Total under 4 W'ks1-3 Months.3-6 Months.6-9 Months.9-12 Months.Total under 1 YearDeaths in the BoroughDeaths outside the Borough.Deaths in Institu'ns
Cengenital Debility21......3............3121
Premature Birth4.........4............4...31
Congenital Malformations......1...1............1...11
Injury at Birth1.........1............11......
Diarrhoea and Enteritis..................1......1...11
Pneumonia (all forms)...............1.........1...11
Violence3......l4............44......
All causes101111311......15*785
*Note.—The number of deaths assigned by the Registrar-General is 16, but the number compiled from the Local Registrar of Death returns and the Registrar-General's inward and outward transfer returns is only 15, In the absence of information as to Cause and Age in the case of this additional death it has not been possible to include it in the above Table.

Of the total 16 deaths assigned by the Registrar-General to
Barnes it should be noted that:—
(а) Only 7 of them were deaths registered in the Borough,
and of these 5 were unknown newly-born infants found dead
on the Thames foreshore.
(b) As regards cause of deaths 9 of the deaths were due to
causes in Division No. 31 of the Registrar-General's Short
List, namely congenital debility, premature birth, malformations,
etc. In the case of these nine infants death occurred
at ages varying between a few minutes and two weeks.
(c) Of the total deaths 8 were deaths of legitimate infants
and 8 illegitimate, included in the latter being the five unknown
newly-born infants found dead. Amongst the total births
assignable to the Borough births of illegitimate infants numbered
21, and the occurrence of 8 deaths amongst these infants represents
the very high mortality for illegitimate infants of 381
per 1,000 illegimate births, contrasted with a mortality rate of
only 22 per 1,000 for legitimate infants.
From a careful analysis of the infantile deaths which occurred
during the year, regard being had to the circumstances of the deaths,
the particular causes from which death occurred and the ages at
death, it can be appreciated that in the case of a large proportion of
them preventive or curative measures available under the Maternity
and Child Welfare Services could have had little effect.