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this matter, I cannot do better than repeat what I said last
year in my report, as the conditions are still similar, viz.:—
"It is outside the power of Local Governing- bodies to
affect the birth-rate, but it is within their power to reduce
the number of children who die in the first year of life.
When one considers that out of every 1,000 children born,
132 die in the first year of life, in the smaller towns, it is
apparent that every Local Governing body should take every
means in their power to reduce this fearful waste of Infant
life. What can be done by a municipality in this direction
has been shown by Huddersfield, which by combined effort
their death-rate has been reduced to half. In other words, a
saving of about 60 children has been effected in every 1,000
born. In Ilford, as I pointed out in 1904 and again during
the past year, a great part of the death-rate is due to want of
knowledge, and help in that direction, I am more and more
convinced, would be attended with beneficial results. Of
course the problem is a very complex one, but in this particular
district education, or lack of it, is the main factor.
It must not be forgotten, too, that though we hear of the
deaths, we do not hear of the numbers of other babies who
are not thriving as they should do."
There has been an increase in the total number of
infectious diseases over the previous year, 548 being notified
for 1906, as against 446 for 1905. On referring to the
various tables it will be seen that there has been an increase
in all the diseases, and it has not been due to any one.
Scarlet Fever has been somewhat prevalent, but has been
fairly distributed throughout the district, and there never
appeared to be any one common source of infection. The
same remark also applies to Diphtheria. As I poinetd out
last year, I am sure that the "school supervision" is a very
great help with regard to these two diseases, as I have seen
a large number of children with sore throats, and it was