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

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Heston and Isleworth 1905

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]

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19
of considering Table V. for a few moments. When similar tables for a large
number of places can be compared the value of the facts contained in them
will be great.
It will be noted that in the table a separate column is given for each
month, and that the first month is further divided into four weeks, making
altogether 16 age periods for the infant deaths during the year. The number
of deaths from different causes in each of these age periods is also given in
the table. A brief analysis of the table for this district may perhaps be
useful. In drawing it up all deaths of infants of non-residents have been
excluded, so that the total number of infantile deaths considered is 125. Of
these 125 deaths, 36, or 28.8 per cent., occurred in the first month (as a
matter of fact they were all in the first three weeks). 29 of these 36 deaths,
or over 80 per cent., happened in the first week, and these deaths in the
first week of life are 23.2 per cent. of the total deaths in the first year of
life. 19 deaths took place in the second month of life and 9 in the third,
making a total of 64 deaths of children in the first three months of life. In
other words, more than half (51.2 per cent.) of the children whose total
length of life was less than one year did not survive beyond the first quarter
of the possible 12 months. In the fourth, fifth and sixth months 25 deaths
occurred, making the total children who died before reaching six months
of age 89, or 71'2 per cent. of the 125. 36 infants died between the ages of
6 and 12 months, curiously enough exactly the same number that died within
the first month. The following is a summary of the analysis:—
Total deaths of infants under 12 months of age 125
Died in first week of life 29 23.2 per cent.
„ second ,, 3 24 ,,
,, third ,, 4 32 ,,
Died in first month of life 36 28-8 ,,
,, second ,, 19 152 ,,
,, third ,, 9 72 ,,
Died before reaching the age of 3 months 64 51.2 ,,
Died in fourth, fifth and sixth months 25 20 „
Died before reaching the age of 6 months 89 71.2 ,,
Died in seventh to twelfth months 36 28.8 ,,
125 100