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6
There were six deaths from the principal zymotic
diseases during the year, viz.:—Diarrhoea, 4; whooping
cough, 1; diphtheria, 1 ; equal to a rate of 0.6 per thousand.
The death from diphtheria occurred in a London
Hospital, and the illness was not notified in this district.
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
Nineteen infants died before reaching the age of one
year, of whom three did not survive a week after birth.
The causes of these infants' deaths were as follows:—
Pneumonia. 1; premature birth, 4; whooping cough, 1;
tuberculous meningitis, 1; erysipelas, 1; bronchitis, 1;
diarrhoea and enteritis, 4; congenital malformation, 1;
debility, 4 ; other diseases, 1.
The infantile mortality rate for the year is 103'8 per
thousand births and is a decided increase on the rate of 76.9
per 1000 births for 1913.
Practically half of these deaths were due to pre-natal
causes: prematurity accounting for four, and congenital
defects and debility being the cause of five other deaths.
In Table IV. will be found the full list of the causes of
death of these infants, and the age periods at death.
PREVENTION OF INFANTILE MORTALITY.
I have recommended your Council to adopt the Notification
of Births Act, 1907, but the matter is deferred for the
present.
Under the provisions of the Infant Life Protection Act,
the Board of Guardians employ a trained nurse to make
periodical inspections of those children residing within the
district to which the Act applies.