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
Heston and Isleworth 1908
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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34
registered in the district. To obtain a fair infant mortality rate,
the 42 non-resident births during the year should also be excluded.
If this was done the mortality rate, based on the registered births
and deaths of infants the children of actual residents, would be
111.2 per 1000 births instead of 107.3. Amongst the deaths of
residents registered during the year beyond the district, were two
of infants. These two deaths are not taken into account in either
the official or non-official estimate, as they were only residents in
theory and did not in fact ever live in the district. But if they
were included the actual number of resident infant deaths would
be 132 instead of 130.
The following tabular summary, showing five different infant mortality rates for the same district and the same year, proves how important it is in considering vital statistics to know the data on which the figures are based before drawing definite conclusions from them.
| 147 deaths and all births | 121.3 per 1000 |
| 130 ,, ,, ,, | 107.3 „ |
| 130 deaths and resident births registered only | 111.2 „ |
| 132 ,, ,, ,, ,, | 112.9 „ |
| 132 deaths and all registered births | 109.0 „ |
Analysis of Table V.
The Local Government Board Table numbered V., deals with
the causes of and ages at death of the 130 resident infants, whose
deaths were registered during the year. The details given are of
great value to all interested in the question of infant mortality
and are closely connected with the general public health of the
district, but some of the points may easily be missed unless
specially looked for, and a brief analysis of the table may therefore
be of some use.