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The comparable rates for England and Wales for 1951 were as followsj- stillbirth
rate 23 stillbirths per 1,000 total births, infantile mortality rate of 29.6 deaths of
Infants under 1 year per 1,000 total births, naternal mortality rate O.79 (including
abortions) or 0.65 (excluding abortions) per 1,000 live and stillbirths.
The total number of infant deaths and stillbirths combined are shown In the
diagram on page 35 and remained almost the same as in the previous two years (111 as
compared with 145 In 1950 and 144 in 1949) .
The number of infant deaths was 74. The only causes of infant death which show
an increase are those due to diseases of the respiratory system. There were 12 deaths
from pneumonia, 4 from bronchitis and 2 from bronchi pneumonia complicating whooping
cough. In many of these babies the illness was very acute and very brief, whilst in
some it was so fulminating that death supervened before medical aid had been sought and
even before the parents had realised that the baby was ill.
The 3 accidental deaths were all caused by asphyxia due to suffocation. In 2
this was brought about by overlaying while the baby vas in bed with his mother. In the
case of the third baby suffocation occurred while she was in her cot.

In case No. 1 the pregnancy during which the toxaemia is said to have developed,
occurred six years prior to death and 110 details of the patienfs history were available
to show to what extent pregnancy had been a factor in the train of events which led to
death.
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